Determinants of Canine Rabies in Morocco: How to Make Pertinent Deductions for Control?

Abstract

Original Research | Volume 4 | Issue 1| 1 Copyright 2019 Khayli M. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. cc Objective This case control study aims to highlight risk factors to contract canine rabies, taking into account several factors like geographical affiliation, sex, age, season, socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the environment in which the canine population evolves. Design Case-control study at national level in Morocco included non-randomized comparison groups. This approach was chosen to address practical considerations and the data used correspond to a five years period. A group of 215 cases and 215 controls were needed for an odds ratio (OR) of 2.2 and the sample size was calculated for a 1:1 match, with a power of 80% and a risk of the first species at 5% (95% confidence interval). Setting Data collection is retrospective and the collection of information on the exposure of cases and controls was conducted in the same way. Subjects Target population was the general canine population of Morocco. Criteria related to age group (puppies, young, adult) and gender (female, male) have been considered in the selection of the target population. Results The Moroccan rural context characterized by a lack of basic infrastructures (education, health) makes that there are practices and cultural habits that favor the endemicity of rabies in some regions. Thus, the disease is associated with the presence of rural slaughterhouses and animal markets and landfills which appears offering unlimited food sources for stray dogs and then indirectly promotes their reproduction accordingly. Conclusion These findings support advocacy efforts for strengthening a global prevention system. In addition, socio-ecological surveys should be carried out to build understanding in depth for a better adaptation of the ongoing prophylactic programs.