Knowledge, attitudes and practices about rabies prevention and control: A community survey in five health districts of Burkina Faso

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects humans and animals. It is transmitted by rabid animals, through bite, scratch or licking. Almost 99% of human cases are caused by dogs. In Burkina Faso, nearly 5,000 bites cases are recorded annually. This cross-sectional investigation was conducted with the objective of assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of people regarding rabies and preventive measures in five health districts, Burkina Faso. Using a structured questionnaire, the survey was conducted in households to capture data on participants’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of rabies control. Through a house-to-house approach, the questionnaire was administrated to 320 household members. The results indicated that 36.9% of the participants had high level knowledge of rabies, 80% perceived it as a fatal disease, 76.4% of participant’s reported attitudes were negative and 58.9% of them reported uncorrect practices. The knowledge level of rabies was significantly associated with health district, area of household location, participant’s age, their level of education, previous history with rabies and information channels used by household (p<0.05). However, the health district, the area of household location, the level of education and the knowledge level had significant association with attitudes of participants with regard to rabies (p<0.05). Concerning health behaviours, health district of respondents and their previous history with rabies showed significant association with practices regarding bite cases management (p<0.05). In addition, people health seeking behaviors were significantly associated with their levels of knowledge regarding rabies, their perceptions and attitudes towards the disease (p<0.05). National rabies control stakeholders should address the knowledge gaps through mass awareness campaigns providing key information regarding the risks of contamination and the recommended practices to prevent avoidable deaths.