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Community survey of rabies knowledge and exposure to bats in homes - Sumter County, South Carolina, USA.

ABSTRACT: Subsequent to a human rabies death in Sumter County, South Carolina, we assessed the frequency of exposures to bats in homes and citizens' rabies knowledge. A self-administered survey was mailed to 6033 randomly selected Sumter County addresses. The survey inquired about household exposures to bats and respondents' rabies knowledge. Surveys were returned by mail for descriptive analysis. Of 597 respondents, 3.5% (21/597) reported having bats living in (2.8% or 17/597) or entering their homes (2.5% or 15/597) during 2010-2012. Respondents generally understood that mammals transmit rabies virus through bites, but were less aware of the severity of rabies illness and modern post-exposure vaccine administration. Respondents were unsure about how to exclude bats from homes and ranked highly both healthcare and non-healthcare entities as preferred resources for obtaining assistance with bat-related concerns. We found potential for human exposures to bats in Sumter County households and gaps in citizen knowledge of rabies and bat exclusion. Public health officials should engage non-healthcare partners in assistance disseminating rabies educational materials and for providing appropriate referral for persons potentially exposed to bats.

SUBMITTER: Lankau EW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5774857 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Community survey of rabies knowledge and exposure to bats in homes - Sumter County, South Carolina, USA.

Lankau E W EW Cox S W SW Ferguson S C SC Blanton J D JD Tack D M DM Petersen B W BW Rupprecht C E CE

Zoonoses and public health 20140510 3

Subsequent to a human rabies death in Sumter County, South Carolina, we assessed the frequency of exposures to bats in homes and citizens' rabies knowledge. A self-administered survey was mailed to 6033 randomly selected Sumter County addresses. The survey inquired about household exposures to bats and respondents' rabies knowledge. Surveys were returned by mail for descriptive analysis. Of 597 respondents, 3.5% (21/597) reported having bats living in (2.8% or 17/597) or entering their homes (2. ...[more]

PMID: 24815566

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Project description:BackgroundRabies is a viral disease of animals and people causing fatal encephalomyelitis if left untreated. Although effective pre- and post-exposure vaccines exist, they are not widely available in many endemic countries within Africa. Since many individuals in these countries remain at risk of infection, post-exposure healthcare-seeking behaviors are crucial in preventing infection and warrant examination.MethodologyA rabies knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey was conducted at 24 geographically diverse sites in Uganda during 2013 to capture information on knowledge concerning the disease, response to potential exposure events, and vaccination practices. Characteristics of the surveyed population and of the canine-bite victim sub-population were described. Post-exposure healthcare-seeking behaviors of canine-bite victims were examined and compared to the related healthcare-seeking attitudes of non-bite victim respondents. Wealth scores were calculated for each household, rabies knowledge was scored for each non-bitten survey respondent, and rabies exposure risk was scored for each bite victim. Logistic regression was used to determine the independent associations between different variables and healthcare-seeking behaviors among canine-bite victims as well as attitudes of non-bitten study respondents.ResultsA total of 798 households were interviewed, capturing 100 canine-bite victims and a bite incidence of 2.3 per 100 person-years. Over half of bite victims actively sought medical treatment (56%), though very few received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (3%). Bite victims who did not know or report the closest location where PEP could be received were less likely to seek medical care (p = 0.05). Respondents who did not report having been bitten by a dog with higher knowledge scores were more likely to respond that they would both seek medical care (p = 0.00) and receive PEP (p = 0.06) after a potential rabies exposure event.ConclusionsThere was varying discordance between what respondents who did not report having been bitten by a dog said they would do if bitten by a dog when compared to the behaviors exhibited by canine-bite victims captured in the KAP survey. Bite victims seldom elected to wash their wound or receive PEP. Having lower rabies knowledge was a barrier to theoretically seeking care and receiving PEP among not bitten respondents, indicating a need for effective and robust educational programs in the country.

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Community survey of rabies knowledge and exposure to bats in homes - Sumter County, South Carolina, USA.

Publications

Community survey of rabies knowledge and exposure to bats in homes - Sumter County, South Carolina, USA.

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