phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:5087 DOI 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013578 Barriers to rabies control through mass dog vaccination in rural Uganda: Insights from community perspectives and key informant interviews Background Globally, rabies claims about 59,000 human lives annually, and 99% of human transmission is by dogs. The disease is entirely preventable through mass dog vaccination. Despite this, only an estimated 10% of dogs in Uganda are vaccinated, and the reasons for this low uptake are not fully understood. This study investigated barriers to mass dog vaccination for rabies control in Kyegegwa, a rural Ugandan district. Methodology This qualitative study was conducted with eight key informants (KIs) and twelve focus groups (FGs) with participants from twelve randomly selected parishes. Audio recordings were transcribed in English and transcripts were managed using Atlas ti version 6.0 data management software. Thematic analysis was conducted to produce the results. Results This study identified three major themes affecting mass dog vaccination in Kyegegwa District: (1) community dynamics, including misconceptions about vaccines, limited awareness, and difficulties in handling aggressive dogs; (2) Resource and service constraints such as vaccine shortages, limited veterinary personnel, and high costs; and (3) Systemic and operational challenges, including delayed campaign announcements, poor communication, and lack of vaccination certificates. These barriers collectively explain the persistently low coverage of mass dog vaccination in rural Uganda. Conclusion Limited awareness, logistical challenges, and inadequate veterinary resources were reported to be barriers to rabies control in Kyegegwa District. Addressing these issues may require timely communication, workforce strengthening, animal mobile clinics, and cost mitigation. Accurate dog population assessments and tailored community strategies may improve vaccination coverage, offering a foundation for effective rabies prevention in Kyegegwa District and similar resource-limited settings. eng Vaccination And Immunization Dogs Rabies Uganda Vaccines Veterinary Diseases Qualitative Studies Veterinarians 2026-05-05T12:29:24.329Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Akankwatsa;Dickson; FN:Dickson Akankwatsa X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6627-9058 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Bagonza;Arthur; FN:Arthur Bagonza END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kiguli;Juliet; FN:Juliet Kiguli END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kambugu;Andrew; FN:Andrew Kambugu END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lamorde;Mohammed; FN:Mohammed Lamorde END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Okech;Samuel George; FN:Samuel George Okech END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kankya;Clovice; FN:Clovice Kankya END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Agado;Doreen; FN:Doreen Agado END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Apio;Felister; FN:Felister Apio END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Odoch;Terence; FN:Terence Odoch END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kahunde;Anna Mary; FN:Anna Mary Kahunde END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Hartnack;Sonja; FN:Sonja Hartnack END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Léchenne;Monique; FN:Monique Léchenne END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lohr;Frederic; FN:Frederic Lohr END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Herrera;Adrian; FN:Adrian Herrera END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Dürr;Salome; FN:Salome Dürr END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 337704 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5087 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:5087/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline