Indigenous knowledge and practices in the control of rabies in north central Nigeria

Abstract EN

This study was carried out to access the indigenous and practical knowledge about rabies control in Ifelodun and Irepodun Local Government Areas (LGA) of Kwara State, Nigeria.

Our investigations combined literature review, focus group discussion and in-depth interview.

Information obtained from 246 adults revealed that 65% of the respondents keep dogs for hunting and security, while the remaining 35% do not keep dogs.

Local farmers and hunters who kept dogs claimed that rabid dogs and their human victims are curable with local herbs such as “Apa – asa”, “imi- esu”, goat weeds, raw walnut, fresh okro and materials such as “Adin-eyan”, salt, cobra intestine, dog‟s blood, dog‟s hair, and “aporoepaijebu” which were either applied topically on the wound or taken orally by the victim immediately after the bite.

It was observed that the respondents had limited knowledge about the dumb form of rabies compared with the furious type (locally referred to as „Digbolugi‟).

Our data analysis showed that goat weeds 62(25.2%), Apa – asa 53(21.5%) Adin-eyan and salt 82(33.3%), combination of Dog‟s blood and hair 74(30.1) were the range of efficacious herbs and materials used to treat rabies in those communities.

Poverty and ignorance still poses challenges in the use of veterinary services by the farmers in most communities in Nigeria.

Hence, the needs for the government‟s interventions for affordable veterinary services, organising campaigns on rabies vaccination, funding research on these local remedies as well as incorporating ethinovetrinary practices in the curriculum of learning in Nigeria.