The need for one health approach towards rabies control in Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Rabies, being a fatal, viral, zoonotic and vaccine-preventable  disease, requires a holistic and team approach by all trained  professionals working in the various aspects of public health maintenance. The one Health concept is founded on the awareness of the many benefits of controlling pathogens at the human-animal-environmental interface. Questionnaires were  administered to the public and health personnel across the seventeen local government areas of Plateau Stateto collect information on factors that bothers on the public’s perception of rabies occurrence and control. These factors have been reported in previous and more recent studies to contribute to rabies in the state. They include the level of awareness of rabies and its control by the public, dog ownership and management practices, routine vaccination of dogs against rabies, reporting dog bites and suspected rabies cases to designated health authorities and role of the health personnel in rabies control. The information and data collected were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016. The study period spanned from 1998 – 2007. The findings of this study led to the conclusion that the creation of a one Health Initiative will stimulate a successful and sustainable control of rabies in the state.

Keywords: Nigeria, One health, Plateau state, Rabies, Vaccine-preventable