Animal rabies epidemiology in Nepal from 2005 to 2017

Abstract

Background and Aim: Animal rabies is endemic in Nepal, and it occurs in two forms. Although governmental and non-governmental agencies are working toward the control of rabies by mass dog vaccination and stray dog population management, there is still massive number of rabies incidence reported to the reference veterinary laboratory, Nepal. Therefore, this study aimed to assess animal species, temporal, regional, and agro-ecological distribution patterns of animal rabies in Nepal from 2005 to 2017. Materials and Methods: The epidemiological data on animal rabies from the period of 2005 to 2017 were obtained from the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal. The laboratory-confirmed rabies cases were analyzed according to animal species, temporal, regional (developmental zones), and agro-ecological distributions. In addition, descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the distribution patterns of rabies. Results: From 2005 to 2017, a total of 2771 suspected rabies cases in animals were reported to The Central Veterinary Hospital, Kathmandu. Of which, 1302 were found laboratory-confirmed cases. The rabies cases were most commonly reported and confirmed in dogs followed by other domestic animals. The high occurrences were recorded between 2005 and 2007. However, the incidence was increased during 2016 and 2017. The highest number of rabies cases was recorded in the eastern development zone, and the least number in the central zone at regional level. Likewise, it was highest in the Terai (plain) region and lowest in mountainous areas at agro-ecological zones. The findings also revealed that the occurrences of rabies significantly differed among seasons. Conclusion: Rabies is present in Nepal throughout the year and all seasons with seasonal variation. Among the animal species, dogs are the primary animals affected with rabies followed by cattle and other domestic animals. At the regional level, eastern development zone had the highest incidence and Central development zone recorded the least. Similarly, the Terai region had the highest incidence rates, and the least overall prevalence rate was observed in mountainous regions among agro-ecological zones. Therefore, the government should implement the strict enforcement of mass dog vaccination and dog population management through one health approach to control rabies incidence in the country.

Spatiotemporal distributions of animal rabies disease outbreaks from 2018–2023 in western Amhara region, Ethiopia

“…It was noted that animals like cattle, goats, sheep, and equines in the western Amhara region are at risk of contracting the disease from rabid dogs due to grazing in open elds where they may come into contact with free-roaming dogs. The ndings were similar to those of studies conducted in Ethiopia (10,(12)(13)(14), Nepal (15), Sri Lanka (16), and South Africa (17). This could be due to the existence of a large number of stray dogs and insu cient vaccination coverage in the region.…”

Cross-correlation and time series analysis of rabies in different animal species in Nepal from 2005 to 2018

“…Generally, the trend is non-linear with no specific pattern during the study period which aligns with previous reports [ 55 ]. Early in the study period, there is a high number of occurrences before the first change point which can be attributed to the absence of rabies control programmes such as mass anti-rabies vaccination and animal birth control in dogs [ 21 ]. In 2008, the Rabies in Asia Foundation organized a conference to discuss various strategies for eradicating rabies in Nepal.…”

“…The agriculture sector engages around 66 % of total population in Nepal, contributing to 1/3rd of GDP with livestock sub-sector contributing 11 % in GDP and approximately about 25.68 % of AGDP. Since Nepal is an agricultural country, animals like goats, cows, and buffaloes are grazed in open fields with freely roaming dogs coming into contact with them, which is believed to be the main mode of transmission for human rabies [ 21 ].…”

“…Several researchers have studied rabies and its epidemiology in Nepal using descriptive data analyses [ 1 , 21 , 30 ]. For instance, Devleesschauwer et al conducted a systematic review of the epidemiology, impact, and control of rabies [ 1 ].…”

Rabies control in Nepal: a missed opportunity

“…The local ecological factors may have been crucial in the transmission of rabies in Nepal as evinced by the majority of rabies cases in animals and humans in Nepal have been reported from Terai regions compared to hilly and mountain areas of Nepal, which shares an open border with India and have numerous unfenced wildlife areas and densely populated agricultural areas ( 1 , 3 , 4 ). In addition, the highest number of outbreaks were reported in winter (January-February) and summer (June-August), which points toward the possible role of the season on the incidence of rabies as these seasons correspond with the breading season of dogs and other wild canines ( 7 ). Similar observation of warm and rainy season having a high incidence of rabies compared to dry season was reported in China ( 8 ).…”