ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF STRAY DOGS AS A RISK FACTOR FOR THE HEALTH OF POPULATION IN CERTAIN AREAS OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Muhamed Katica*, Zarema Obradovic Nedzad Gradascevic, Nejra Hadzimusic, Ramo Mujkanovic, Esad Mestric, Fatima Baši?, Blaško Toplaovi?, Rasim Smajki?, Muhamed Dupovac and Mirza Celebicic
ABSTRACT
Absence of human support for dogs causes activation of their self-preservation mechanisms and return to natural patterns of behavior. The category of dogs without owners – stray dogs, was significantly increasing in the post-war period on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their presence in urban and rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina has had adverse impacts on population’s health, analyzing risk factors. Bites, urine and faecal contamination of public and arable surfaces are caused by sporadic appearance of some zoonoses, such as echinococcosis. The largest number of humans bit by the stray dogs was in the Canton of Tuzla (1794 persons), while the biting rate was the greatest in the Canton of Sarajevo with 98 bites per 100,000 inhabitants. Despite a large number of stray dogs, as well as a significant number of people bitten, no case of human rabies in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been recorded during the twenty-year monitoring period (1996-2016). Population of stray dogs (21,800) in four studied cantons (TC, SC, HNC and ZDC) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina daily contaminated public and arable areas with 10 900 kilograms of faeces and 13 080 liters of urine. Huge burden on the ground caused by dog's excretions in cantons examined, among other things, resulted in appearance of human echinococcosis in all cantons.
Keywords: public health, zoonosis, bite of stray dogs, anti-rabies protection, echinococcosis.
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