{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]],"date-time":"2025-12-30T09:01:19Z","timestamp":1767085279376,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,26]],"date-time":"2022-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1661472000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Pretoria Doctoral Research Bursary"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Rabies is a neglected disease endemic in Asia and Africa but is still a significant public and veterinary health threat. Whilst a key delicacy for the local diet, bats are a natural reservoir host for many viral zoonotic agents including lyssaviruses, the causative agent of rabies. Studies on knowledge and practices linked to the disease will help to identify gaps and define preventive strategies that may subsequently result in a reduction and the potential elimination of human rabies. In order to assess the public health awareness of bat rabies among specific population groups in Makurdi (Nigeria), structured questionnaires (n = 154) were administered by face-to-face interviews to bat handlers and persons residing near bat roost sites. A total of 59.7% of the respondents were persons residing near bat roost sites, 13% were bat hunters, 25.3% were bat meat consumers and 1.9% were university researchers. Only 6.5% of respondents reported using some form of personal protective equipment (PPE) ranging from hand gloves, face\/nose masks and protective boots to lab coats\/coveralls while handling bats, whilst the majority (93.5%) did not use any form of PPE. With a mean knowledge score of 8.34 out of a possible 12 points, 50.6% of respondents had good knowledge of bats and their disease-carrying potential, 39.6% had fair knowledge, while 9.7% had poor knowledge. Log linear models showed significant associations between knowledge score and level of education, as well as knowledge score and occupation. The latter highlights the requirement to enhance public education among bat handlers and persons residing near bat roosts on the need to protect themselves better, while handling bats particularly during processing of bats for food and on steps to take when exposed to bites from bats.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens11090975","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,29]],"date-time":"2022-08-29T22:53:42Z","timestamp":1661813622000},"page":"975","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Public Health Awareness on Bat Rabies among Bat Handlers and Persons Residing near Bat Roosts in Makurdi, Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Veronica Odinya","family":"Ameh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Makurdi 2373, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5784-033X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George J.","family":"Chirima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Research Council, Soil Climate and Water, 600 Belvedere Street, Arcadia, Pretoria 0001, South Africa"},{"name":"Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3352-8488","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melvyn","family":"Quan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, P Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7842-7985","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claude","family":"Sabeta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, P Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa"},{"name":"WOAH Rabies Reference Laboratory, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria 0002, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"185","article-title":"Elimination of terrestrial rabies in Western European countries","volume":"119","author":"Cliquet","year":"2004","journal-title":"Dev. 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