Study on regional, linguistic, and media environments in urban, rural, and mountainous areas of Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand for developing media education tools for rabies prevention

Abstract

Rabies is a viral infectious disease with a mortality rate of almost 100%. More than 50,000 people worldwide die of rabies each year, despite well-established prevention methods. It is particularly prevalent in poorer regions of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where most victims are poor and minority. This study aims to determine the linguistic, educational, and media environments of minorities in Southeast Asia who are most at risk from rabies. In a survey of mother tongues in Chiang Mai Province, there were more students with mother tongues other than Thai, the official language of Thailand. Many rabies countries are multiracial and multilingual. Infections such as rabies affect not only children but also residents of the entire region. These often occur in remote areas where administrative and medical services cannot reach. Since the damage caused by infectious diseases varies depending on the time and place and residents’ consciousness, continuous education is necessary. With media education, there are no restrictions on place and time. The findings suggest that media-based adult and continuing education could be used to prevent rabies in this setting.