Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards rabies: A survey of the general population residing in the Harare Metropolitan Province of Zimbabwe.

Background: Rabies remains endemic to the Harare Metropolitan Province of Zimbabwe, with a lack of public participations potentially contributing to the limited success in eliminating the disease. We hypothesized that rabies intervention campaigns were less successful than they could be as a result of poor understanding of the disease at the community level, and thus aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards rabies in the province.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using a semi-structured questionnaire, was implemented between January 2017 and June 2018 across the province and data were collected from 798 respondents.

Resistance of ticks on cattle to amitraz in Zimbabwe.

Resistance of one host and three host ticks on cattle to amitraz was studied using samples from five diptanks in the Domboshawa Communal Land Area of Zimbabwe. A random tick profile and a questionnaire survey on the tick control practices of the area were also carried out. Engorged Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Amblyomma hebraeum females were randomly collected from cattle presented for dipping at the 5 diptanks and were allowed to oviposit separately at T: 28 °C and RH: 85-95%.