Widia Safitri, Rita Suzana, Olivia Afriyanti, Anggi Pratama
Rubies remains a fatal zoonotic disease that continues to cause thousands of human deaths annually, particularly in regions where dog-mediated transmission persists. In Indonesia, rabies remains endemic in different provinces, and rural communities with frequent human-dog interactions may face an increased risk of exposure. The present study aimed to assess the risk of dog-mediated rabies transmission in a rural Indonesian community using a One Health perspective. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Sirukam Village, Solok District, West Sumatra, Indonesia, in August 2025. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 96 respondents, field observations of dog populations, and semi-structured interviews with hunters, dog owners, and local health workers. Secondary data on bite incidents and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) completion were obtained from the local public health center. The results revealed that 56.25% of respondents had moderate knowledge regarding rabies prevention, while preventive practices, including wound washing and vaccination adherence, were inconsistent. A total of 14 dog bite cases were reported during January-December 2024. Only 10 of the 14 exposed individuals (71.43%) completed the full PEP vaccination schedule, indicating suboptimal adherence. Field observations revealed 148 free-roaming dogs in the study area, indicating frequent opportunities for human-dog interactions. Qualitative interviews with selected participants suggested that reluctance to vaccinate hunting dogs and limited awareness of rabies prevention may contribute to sustained transmission risks. However, the qualitative findings from interviews with selected participants should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited number of informants. Based on a qualitative risk assessment combining the likelihood of exposure and the potential public health impact using a semi-quantitative scoring approach, rabies was categorized as a high-risk health threat in the study area. The results highlight the importance of strengthening dog vaccination programs, improving community awareness, and enhancing multisectoral collaboration to reduce rabies transmission in rural endemic settings. © The Author(s) 2026 CC:① Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Padang, Bukittinggi, 26181, Indonesia; Puskemas Sirukam, Solok District, 27387, Indonesia
