COVID-19 Cases among veterinary practitioners: role played by canine patients in Lagos State

Background COVID-19 was first reported in Nigeria on Feb 27, 2020, as at 9th May 2021 there were 165,382 confirmed cases with 2,065 deaths CFR 1.3%, Lagos accounted for 35% of the cases and 21% of deaths nationwide. Veterinarians play an important role in public health, attending to animal patients and owners, with risk of contracting the virus. We provided epidemiological information on covid-19 among veterinary practitioners and canine contacts in Lagos, during the lockdown and analyzed possible associations.Methods Study carried out in Lagos State, multistage sampling technique used. 5 public and 4 private veterinary facility selected randomly, Clinic registers reviewed and canine blood sample collected for COVID-19 IgG/IgM antibody test. Questionnaires administered to veterinary practitioners in selected facilities, and encouraged to take COVID-19 test. We conducted descriptive statistics using charts, tables and maps, bivariate analysis done, all significant associations at this level was subjected to multivariate analysis.Result Of the 154 canine and 112 veterinary practitioners sampled, 2% of canine and 25.9% of veterinary practitioners returned positive COVID-19 results. Associations were found between returning positive COVID-19 result and residing in Ikeja (OR = 4.12; CI 1.52–11.2, P 0.004) urban settlement (OR = 5.72; CI 1.60-20.44, P 0.003) being a veterinary doctor (OR = 3.64; CI 1.40–9.46, P 0.009) having tertiary education (OR = 3.74; CI 1.04–13.49 P 0.05). Being married was protective (OR = 0.38; CI 0.16–0.93, P 0.04). Only residing in Ikeja was significant at multivariate level.Conclusion In conclusion, 3 canine positive COVID-19 cases where recorded in Ikeja and Ikorodu LGAs, veterinary practitioners had COVID-19 prevalence of 25.9%, associated with residing in Ikeja, urban settlement, being single, being a veterinary doctor, and having tertiary education. No significant relationship found between covid-19 positive veterinary practitioners and canine contacts. We recommended the organization of more IPC training for veterinary practitioners.