Abstract:
Tools and resources that could increase dog vaccination coverage have become increasingly
critical towards progressing the goal to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. In this
regard, dog collars that are fitted during vaccination campaigns could potentially enhance owner
participation. The use of dog collars will, however, increase the cost per dog vaccinated and the
impact and benefit of this practice should be elucidated. This study evaluated the impact of dog
collars by testing the perception and related behavioural influences in communities in Zanzibar. In
this cross-sectional investigation—conducted approximately two months after the implementation
of a mass dog vaccination (MDV) where dog collars were provided to vaccinated dogs—data were
collected from 600 respondents in 56 municipal wards in Zanzibar. Descriptive analyses and logistic
regressions were undertaken to determine the impact the collars had on respondents with regards to
(i) engaging with the community dogs, (ii) health seeking behaviour after exposure, and (iii) overall
participation during dog vaccination campaigns. From the data, it was evident that the collars had a
positive impact on the community’s perception of dogs, with 57% of the respondents feeling safer
around a dog with a collar, while 66% of the respondents felt less safe around a dog without a collar.
Furthermore, the collars had a positive impact on participation during dog vaccination campaigns.
Of the 142 respondents who owned dogs, 64% reported that the collars made them more likely to take
their dogs for vaccination, and 95% felt that the collar was an important sign of the dog’s vaccination
status. This study demonstrated that dog collars could not only improve participation during dog
vaccination campaigns, but that they could also play a significant role in the community’s perception
of rabies vaccination campaigns and vaccinated dogs in general.
