Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease that affects all warm-blooded animals. Its constant evaluation of the perception of the public is essential. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practices of dog owners on rabies in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. This was achieved by administering 150 structured questionnaires to dog owners, breeders and hunters in the study area using face to face interviews. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 21. Dog owners with more than 3 dogs (13.3%) and those with one dog (50.7%) had the highest (80%) and least (47.4%) rabies vaccination rates respectively. Dogs kept for both breeding and security (18%) were vaccinated more than those kept for (74.1%) other reasons. Lhasa apso and local breeds were the highest (100%) and least (14.3%) vaccinated dogs in the study. Dogs < 1 year (30.7%) and those >6 years (0.7%) recorded (65.2%) and (0%) current rabies vaccination status respectively, while 90% and 72.6% of the respondents knew about rabies and its transmission to man respectively, only 58.7% had updated rabies vaccination for their dogs. Although 56% of the dog owners in this study rightly indicated how rabies is transmitted, 16% and 64.7% didn't know how humans contract the disease and the clinical presentations in dogs respectively. Most (35.6%) respondents that didn't have up to date vaccinations for their dogs didn't have cogent reasons for failing to do so. Dog owners that were not knowledgeable about pre-exposure rabies vaccination were 58.7% while only 7.3 % of them had received previous shots of the vaccine. Dog bite experience was recorded in 78% of the respondents while only 20.7% of the 82.7% that claimed to know what to do when bitten by a dog identified the right course of action. Most (69.3%) respondents however indicated they would seek medical help at the government hospital (40%) if bitten by a rabid dog. The result of this study showed that there is some knowledge gap in the knowledge of rabies among stakeholders in the study area. Periodic mass rabies awareness campaigns to improve the perception of the disease in the study area is indicated.

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa and the sensational news and report of confirmed cases in Nigeria sparked off considerable but justifiable concerns and political commitments, not only in the West African Sub-region but in other parts of the world. EVD is a rapidly fatal and highly contagious disease, killing more than 50% of its infected victims. The global implications of the disease, beyond the immediately affected geographical region, are enormous, especially on international trade, travels, health, sport, political gatherings and widespread stigmatization of individuals, countries and even the continents. At present, there is no licensed drug or vaccine to prevent or cure the disease. The constraint of rapid dissemination of vital information about the disease to rural and poorly accessible areas is a major impediment. Inadequate health facilities, deep rooted socio-cultural taboos, belief and practices collectively constitute serious stumbling block to controlling the disease. The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. However, on the basis of available evidence, researchers believe that the virus is zoonotic (animal borne) with bat being the most suspected reservoir. The potential transmission of EVD is considerable and the task of controlling it is daunting.

Disease conditions invariably affect the activities and physiology of common buzzards irrespective of whether they are non-infectious or infectious. The impact of these diseases is further compounded by the stress of captivity in rehabilitation facilities. The aim of the study is to relate weight gain and food consumption to disease conditions in common buzzard. Fifty common buzzards were studied in five batches of 10 birds at a time. The absolute quantity of meat consumed was recorded after taking cognizance of the moisture lost by evaporation. Birds with infectious, non-infectious and those with both non-infectious and infectious diseases on the average consumed 111.9g, 116.6g and 110.3g of food daily, while their weight gain was 18.8%, 12.2% and 17.6% respectively. There were only slight differences in the amount of food consumed and percentage weight gained by the 3 categories of birds.