Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Pet Contact Associated Zoonosis in Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Households consider their dogs and cats as their close friends. They act as companion animals. The contact between pets and their owners results in transmission of zoonotic disease. In Ethiopia, dogs and cats are the most abundant carnivores, and diseases associated with them affect wide parts of the community. There is limited knowledge, practice, and attitude within the communities toward pet contact associated zoonotic disease. Methods: A community-based semi-structured questionnaire complemented with an interview was delivered to 633 household pets' owners in Sibu Sire, Jimaa Arjo, and Wayu Tuqa districts in Western Ethiopia to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices toward pet contact associated zoonotic disease. Results: Socio-demographically, 54.6% of the study participants were female. According to this finding concerning common pet contact zoonotic disease, 70% of the respondents had knowledge about rabies, with Echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, and ring worm also being commonly heard of. Contamination of feed and water (21.71%) and animal bites (21.01%) are the predominant modes of transmission, whereas animal waste, fecal oral route, and touching pets are also common ways for disseminating zoonotic disease. The dominant symptoms noted by respondents were behavioral change, depression, lack of appetite, itching, and diarrhea. In all attitude-related responses, there was a significant association (p<0.05) between the number of respondents and the variable studied. There was also a statistically significant association of KAP score (p<0.05) with educational rank and the work of respondents. Conclusion:This study indicates the importance of pet ownership to the community, which is also associated with transmitting different zoonotic diseases. Moreover, there are inconsistencies on regular veterinary use, pet management, and proper prevention and treatment measures of the disease. Coordinated efforts are expected from different stakeholders in enhancing community KAP level towards pet contact associated zoonosis.

Knowledge, attitudes and prevention practices related to dog-mediated rabies in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational epidemiological studies from inception to 2023

“…Except for a study by Kabeta et al ( 49 ) that was carried out among dog bite victims attending Jimma Town anti-rabies Health Center located in the Oromia region, the remaining 26 studies were conducted in the community ( 20 , 28–31 , 33–48 , 50–54 ). Twelve of the studies were published in the previous five years (2018–2023 Gregorian Calendar) ( 28 , 30 , 31 , 34–36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 47 , 48 , 52 ). Eleven of the studies were conducted in the Amhara region ( 20 , 28 , 31 , 35 , 39 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 51 , 52 ), 9 in the Oromia region ( 29 , 30 , 33 , 38 , 42 , 46 , 49 , 50 ); 3 in Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia’s ( 37 , 43 , 53 ); 2 in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) ( 34 , 54 ), 1 each in Tigray ( 40 ), and Somalia ( 36 ) regions.…”

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of farmers about transmission of zoonotic diseases in Ada’a district, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…Rabies, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, food borne illnesses and poisoning, echinococcosis, and other zoonotic diseases continue to have an impact on human and animal health in many countries, particularly in developing countries [ 12 ]. Different researchers have reported the KAP study towards zoonosis in Ethiopia [ [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ].…”