https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5087 Barriers to rabies control through mass dog vaccination in rural Uganda: Insights from community perspectives and key informant interviews Akankwatsa, Dickson Dickson Akankwatsa 0009-0007-6627-9058 Bagonza, Arthur Arthur Bagonza Kiguli, Juliet Juliet Kiguli Kambugu, Andrew Andrew Kambugu Lamorde, Mohammed Mohammed Lamorde Okech, Samuel George Samuel George Okech Kankya, Clovice Clovice Kankya Agado, Doreen Doreen Agado Apio, Felister Felister Apio Odoch, Terence Terence Odoch Kahunde, Anna Mary Anna Mary Kahunde Hartnack, Sonja Sonja Hartnack University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Léchenne, Monique Monique Léchenne Lohr, Frederic Frederic Lohr Herrera, Adrian Adrian Herrera Dürr, Salome Salome Dürr Public Library of Science journal article open access eng 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. Vaccination And Immunization Dogs Rabies Uganda Vaccines Veterinary Diseases Qualitative Studies Veterinarians http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:5087/download 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013578 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases issn:1935-2735 VoR PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 19 10 329.79 kB 2025