Knowledge, attitude, and practice of a local community towards the prevention and control of rabies in Gaibandha, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of rabies in the community are essential for developing post-exposure behavioral treatment and for understanding current prevention and control policy on rabies. This was a cross-sectional study in Gaibandha Sadar, a northern district of Bangladesh, investigating the level of KAP about rabies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 368 interviewed respondents, of whom 280 (76.09%) were male, and 88 (23.91%) were female. A structured questionnaire was used for the data collection from respondents on socio-demographic information and KAP regarding rabies. The data analyzed with STATA-IC-11.0 and the association of independent variables with rabies KAP scores were calculated using Pearson's Chi-square.

RESULTS

Most respondents had adequate KAP levels and positive thoughts on rabies prevention. The KAP scores were strongly associated with education and employment status ( < 0.05). Most respondents said that stray dogs are a headache in the area and believed that control of the dog population in Gaibandha is essential.

CONCLUSION

These outcomes also revealed that there is an information gap about rabies that might improve by developing an education program for awareness.