Knowledge and Attitudes of Health Care Providers and the Population about Rabies in Sokone Health District, Senegal

Rabies is still a deadly disease, but it is 100% preventable through vaccination. In 2016, Senegal notified 1214 cases of dog bites. In the same year, the district of Sokone recorded 50 cases of dog bites, of which 31.2% of the cases were notified in the region of Fatick. The objective of this study is to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of communities and healthcare providers when faced with a case of exposure to rabies in Sokone health district. This quantitative estimation study is of a descriptive cross-sectional type, which took place during the third quarter of 2017. It targeted the community and health care providers in the Sokone health district. Three-stage cluster sampling was carried out in the community. The recruitment of healthcare providers has been comprehensive. A questionnaire was administered to the community in the form of individual interviews and another questionnaire was sent to health care providers in the form of self-administration. Knowledge, attitude and practice rating grids were developed for the two categories of interviewees. Data entry and analysis was done with Epi Info 3.5.3 software and R 3.3.1. Out of 813 community members surveyed, 6.8% had already been bitten by an animal. A good level of knowledge about rabies was found in 22.4% of the community members. The attitude to a bite was correct for 94.1%. Of the 38 healthcare providers surveyed, only 5.6% had a good understanding of rabies. No provider knew the indications for rabies vaccination and the post-exposure vaccination schedule. In the Sokone health district, communities knew little about rabies. Healthcare providers who are supposed to inform and supervise them in the fight against rabies know less about it. Strengthening the skills of healthcare staff in dealing with bites exposing them to rabies is of urgency in the Sokone health district.