ArticlePublic health challenges2026
Participatory Communication and Mass Dog Vaccination for Effective Rabies Management in Mitooma District, Western Uganda: An Exploratory Study.
Article in Public health challenges, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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3 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Canine rabies remains an endemic public health threat in Mitooma District, Uganda, where traditional, top-down public health interventions frequently fail to achieve the required 70% mass dog vaccination (MDV) coverage due to limited community engagement and one-way communication. Objectives: This exploratory study evaluated the effectiveness of participatory communication in enhancing community engagement in MDV programs at the human-dog-wildlife interface in Mitooma District and identified the sociocultural and ecological factors influencing rabies control. Methods: Four gender-segregated focus group discussions were conducted across four purposively selected parishes (Kiyanga, Kaburara, Iraramira, and Kashasha) in Kiyanga sub-county, Mitooma District. Data were analyzed using thematic framework analysis. Results: Critical gaps persist regarding paralytic rabies, non-bite transmission pathways, and wildlife reservoirs, whereas inadequate interactive education drives the adoption of harmful traditional wound care. Furthermore, top-down vaccination mismatches and utilitarian canine views trigger booster noncompliance and ownership denial to evade medical and legal liabilities. Conclusion: Rabies persistence in Mitooma District is fundamentally driven by a failure of bidirectional community engagement and multi-sectoral coordination. Shifting from top-down public health messaging to a One Health participatory communication framework is necessary to establish sustainable community co-ownership and break the transmission cycle.
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