1. Community rabies knowledge and pet vaccination practices after a skunk rabies outbreak in Eddy County, New Mexico.
- Author
-
McNeil CS, Nagy S, Moonan C, Wallace RM, Vora NM, Dyer JL, Blanton JD, Dorado T, Heinrich ML, Sankey R, Uhrig S, Cary A, Houghton W, and Ettestad P
- Subjects
- Animals, Antigens, Bacterial, Cats, Disease Outbreaks, Dogs, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Humans, New Mexico epidemiology, Rabies epidemiology, Rabies prevention & control, Cat Diseases prevention & control, Dog Diseases prevention & control, Rabies veterinary, Rabies Vaccines immunology
- Abstract
Objective: To determine percentages of domestic cats and dogs vaccinated against rabies, identify barriers to vaccination, and assess knowledge about rabies in a semirural New Mexico community after a skunk rabies outbreak., Design: Cross-sectional, door-to-door, bilingual, community-based participatory survey., Sample: 366 residential properties in Eddy County, NM., Procedures: The New Mexico Department of Health and CDC administered surveys and analyzed data., Results: Individuals at 247 of the 366 residential properties participated in the survey. One hundred eighty of the 247 (73%) households owned a dog (n = 292) or cat (163). Cats were more likely than dogs to not have an up-to-date rabies vaccination status (prevalence ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 4.4). Cost and time or scheduling were the most frequently identified barriers to vaccination. One hundred sixty (65%) respondents did not know livestock can transmit rabies, 78 (32%) did not know rabies is fatal, and 89 (36%) did not know a bat scratching a person can be an exposure. Only 187 (76%) respondents indicated they would contact animal control if they saw a sick skunk, and only 166 (67%) indicated they would contact animal control if bitten by a dog they did not own., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Findings indicated that rabies vaccination prevalence among pet dogs and cats was low, despite the fact that the region had experienced a skunk rabies outbreak during the previous 2 years. In addition, substantial percentages of respondents did not have correct knowledge of rabies or rabies exposure.
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF