Perceptions and Practices of Dog Ownership and Rabies Control at a Human–Wildlife–Domestic Animal Interface in South Africa

ABSTRACT

Rabies is efficiently controlled through mass vaccination of dogs. In an area of South Africa where free vaccination campaigns were implemented following rabies re-emergence, the required 70% vaccination coverage was challenging to reach. Understanding the factors affecting the efficiency of mass vaccination is helpful in guiding long-term rabies control efforts. This study aimed to assess the communities’ knowledge and perceptions of dogs, rabies and the related risk, and control behaviors in a rural rabies-endemic interface area. Combined with informal discussions and participative observations, we organized 18 focus group discussions with men, women, and children – stratified by dog ownership status – in three villages in the Mnisi community in the Mpumalanga Province in north-east South Africa. This community highly valued hunting dogs despite hunting of wildlife being illegal. Although people did not have a clear idea of how dogs acquire rabies, they were aware of the presence of the disease and its zoonotic nature. A dog bite was always associated with rabies risk but was also a source of conflict between dog owners and bite victims, hampering bite health care management. Dog vaccination was perceived as a means to prevent diseases from spreading to humans and other animals, not only to protect dogs from diseases but also to cure disease. Lack of awareness, misinterpretation of health promotion messages, and specific beliefs among adults seemed to hinder participation in rabies vaccination campaigns. Involving and educating staff from clinics and wildlife reserves during vaccination campaigns would tackle rumors, clarify dog bite and dog vaccination procedures, and improve the relationship among stakeholders. Further anthropological studies, focusing on people owning dogs for hunting, may provide a better understanding of rabies transmission patterns and risk factors in this community.

KEYWORDS:

• Anthropology
• dogs
• human–animal interaction
• rabies
• South Africa
• vaccination

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the University of Pretoria and the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases in particular as well as the Mnisi Community Program and the Hluvukani Animal Clinic for their supervision and collaboration in the field. We are extremely grateful to the local authorities for facilitating access to target groups in the community of the study area. We thank very much our three facilitators for the Focus Group Discussions and interpreters, Grace Ndlovu, Margareth Magagule, Philemon Mbungele for their contribution in data collection, and Skara Mongoe for the transcription and translation of the video-recordings. Sadly, Prof. Marleen Boelaert died during the reviewing process of this article. Throughout her long disease, she proved very courageous and remained committed in research until the last moment. We are extremely grateful to have had the privilege to work with her and appreciated her kindness and sense of humanity.

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1 The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.

2 A government-created place with a large tank where livestock can be immersed in anacaricide and used as a weekly meeting point for veterinary monitoring.

3 http://oiegeneralsession.com/en/supporting-the-development-of-national-rabies-control-programmes-in-affected-countries/

4 https://caninerabiesblueprint.org/The-GARC-Education-Platform-a

5 www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Guidelines-for-Responsible- Pet-Ownership.aspx

6 Community Development Forum (CDF) is an internal leadership group that generally represents individuals of all village factions, including traditional leaders, cattle owners, traditional healers, health care workers, and teachers (Berrian et al., 2018).

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the financial support of the Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid to conduct this research.