Rabies and rabies prophylaxis in Egypt: a nationwide cross-sectional study that calls for action.
11 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Yassin Abdelghaffar Street from Gamal Abdelnaser Street, Shebin Al-Kom, Menoufia, 32511, Egypt.
- 2Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
- 3Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
- 4Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Qalubia, Egypt.
- 5Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
- 6Faculty of Medicine, Suez University, Suez, Egypt.
- 7Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
- 8Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
- 9Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
- 10Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
- 11Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Yassin Abdelghaffar Street from Gamal Abdelnaser Street, Shebin Al-Kom, Menoufia, 32511, Egypt. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that poses a global health threat, especially in developing countries. Despite the high incidence of animal bites reported annually in Egypt, limited data exist regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the general population toward rabies and rabies prophylaxis.Methods
We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study using a structured interview-based survey targeting individuals aged 18 years or older who attended outpatient clinics at nine university hospitals across Egypt. The survey assessed participants' KAP toward rabies and rabies prophylaxis and identified barriers to prophylaxis uptake.Results
Among 1,777 participants who responded to the survey, only 42.8% (n = 760) had good knowledge about rabies and rabies prophylaxis, while the majority, 88.5% (n = 1,572), exhibited a positive attitude toward rabies prophylaxis. Knowledge was higher among those who reported awareness of rabies campaigns in their geographic areas (69.1% vs. 40.5%, p < 0.001) and those who had previously been bitten or attacked by animals (56.1% vs. 41.3%, p < 0.001). Overall, 9.7% (n = 173) of participants reported a history of animal bites or attacks; however, 18.5% (n = 32) of these participants did not receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and 17% (n = 24) did not complete the vaccine schedule. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake was low, with only 4.3% (n = 23) of high-risk individuals receiving it. Key barriers to rabies prophylaxis included lack of knowledge about the rabies vaccine, reported by 82.4% of participants, lack of knowledge about rabies, reported by 81.7%, and inadequate hospital facilities, reported by 43.1%.Conclusions
Despite a generally positive attitude toward rabies prophylaxis, knowledge and adherence to prophylactic measures, including pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, remain relatively inadequate in Egypt. Public health interventions, such as educational campaigns and improved accessibility to vaccination services, are needed to address these gaps and mitigate the public health burden of rabies.
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BibTeX
@article{helal2026rabies,
title = {{Rabies and rabies prophylaxis in Egypt: a nationwide cross-sectional study that calls for action.}},
author = {Mohamed Basyouni Helal and Mohamed Ahmed Saeda and Ahmed Gamal Elshaar and Mohamed Elsayed Zayed and Ali M Abdelaziz and Omnia M Mostafa and Enas Sherif Adwy and Ahmed Barakat and Ibrahim Mohammed Abdelkader and Basma Amir Eldawody and Noor Maged Badrawy Ahmed and Mohanned Noah and Ashraf Aboismail and Abdelrahman Mohamed Mahmoud and Abdallah R Allam},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-29562-9},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875760},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rabies and rabies prophylaxis in Egypt: a nationwide cross-sectional study that calls for action.
AU - Mohamed Basyouni Helal
AU - Mohamed Ahmed Saeda
AU - Ahmed Gamal Elshaar
AU - Mohamed Elsayed Zayed
AU - Ali M Abdelaziz
AU - Omnia M Mostafa
AU - Enas Sherif Adwy
AU - Ahmed Barakat
AU - Ibrahim Mohammed Abdelkader
AU - Basma Amir Eldawody
AU - Noor Maged Badrawy Ahmed
AU - Mohanned Noah
AU - Ashraf Aboismail
AU - Abdelrahman Mohamed Mahmoud
AU - Abdallah R Allam
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - BMC public health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-29562-9
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875760
AB - Background Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that poses a global health threat, especially in developing countries. Despite the high incidence of animal bites reported annually in Egypt, limited data exist regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the general population toward rabies and rabies prophylaxis.Methods We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study using a structured interview-based survey targeting individuals aged 18 years or older who attended outpatient clinics at nine university hospitals across Egypt. The survey assessed participants' KAP toward rabies and rabies prophylaxis and identified barriers to prophylaxis uptake.Results Among 1,777 participants who responded to the survey, only 42.8% (n = 760) had good knowledge about rabies and rabies prophylaxis, while the majority, 88.5% (n = 1,572), exhibited a positive attitude toward rabies prophylaxis. Knowledge was higher among those who reported awareness of rabies campaigns in their geographic areas (69.1% vs. 40.5%, p < 0.001) and those who had previously been bitten or attacked by animals (56.1% vs. 41.3%, p < 0.001). Overall, 9.7% (n = 173) of participants reported a history of animal bites or attacks; however, 18.5% (n = 32) of these participants did not receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and 17% (n = 24) did not complete the vaccine schedule. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake was low, with only 4.3% (n = 23) of high-risk individuals receiving it. Key barriers to rabies prophylaxis included lack of knowledge about the rabies vaccine, reported by 82.4% of participants, lack of knowledge about rabies, reported by 81.7%, and inadequate hospital facilities, reported by 43.1%.Conclusions Despite a generally positive attitude toward rabies prophylaxis, knowledge and adherence to prophylactic measures, including pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, remain relatively inadequate in Egypt. Public health interventions, such as educational campaigns and improved accessibility to vaccination services, are needed to address these gaps and mitigate the public health burden of rabies.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -