Title of project

The Potential Effects of Human Perception and Interaction with Free-roaming Dogs on Disease Transmission in Urban Communities of the Los Rios Region of Chile

Faculty Advisor

Meghan Mason

Department

Public Health

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The Potential Effects of Human Perception and Interaction with Free-roaming Dogs on Disease Transmission in Urban Communities of the Los Rios Region of Chile

Zoonoses, infectious diseases of animal origin, account for 2.7 million deaths worldwide, and an additional 2.5 billion cases of illness in humans each year. Zoonoses can be transmitted to humans via multiple pathways including direct contact with animals, ingestion or inhalation of the pathogen from animal feces, contact with animal urine, and indirect routes through soil and water. Cases of emerging zoonoses are heavily concentrated in urban areas, especially among the marginalized slum populations surrounding city centers where these low-resource communities often lack access to safe water, sanitation infrastructure, and permanent housing. Animal pests move throughout the slum communities in search of food and shelter, while carrying zoonotic pathogens that can cause severe human disease and unfortunately, mobilizing resources to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and provide adequate food and shelter for these animals is difficult in low-resource communities. In this study, surveys and community observations were conducted in 54 households in urban communities located in the temperate Los Rios Region of Chile; a place where free-roaming dogs is a common occurrence. Due to the dogs having a high prevalence rate of leptospirosis, a deadly zoonotic pathogen, these communities were chosen to further investigate the perceptions that the members of these communities may hold on the free-roaming dogs, and how their perceptions along with their specific interactions with the free-roaming dogs could potentially encourage disease transmission. Furthermore, the data collected also give a better insight into the community members' abilities and barriers to protecting themselves from disease transmitting animals. Proportions and prevalences were calculated for various responses, and chi-square tests were conducted as appropriate.