Demographic study of dogs in rural and urban areas in Umuahia; a step towards eradication of rabies

Abstract

Dog-mediated human rabies remains a major public health threat in Nigeria. The availability of reliable dog population estimates is the key in planning control strategies for canine rabies in developing countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the demography of dogs in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was carried out in Umuahia North and Umuahia south, Local Government areas (LGA) Abia state, Nigeria, between September and November 2019. A total of 132 compounds in Umuahia North and 186 compounds in Umuahia South were randomly selected for administration of questionnaires. A total of 159 questionnaires were distributed for compound dog count. Information obtained included household information such as numbers of dogs in the premises, housing and control of dog movement. Others were history of dog bites and individual dog information such as breed, sex, age, source of dog, source of food and vaccination status. Two hundred and fifty-seven (257) dogs were counted which comprised 126 (49%) males and 131 (51%) females. Also, 46.3% of the dogs were confined. The dog vaccination coverage in the dog population surveyed was 47.9%. Majority of the respondents (83.3%) stated that no member of their family has been bitten by a dog. The findings of this study show female: male ratio of dog to be 1.04:1. There was negligent dog ownership as a good number of dogs were left to roam. There was a low anti-rabies vaccination coverage in Umuahia North and Umuahia South LGAs which falls below recommendation of 70-80% vaccination coverage by the World Health Organization to achieve herd immunity. Keywords: Demography, dog, Nigeria, rabies, Umuahia.