Controlling dog rabies in Africa: successes, failures and prospects for the future

Abstract

Rabies is an acute and progressive encephalitis caused by lyssaviruses (family Rhabdoviridae, order Mononegavirales). Approximately 99% of the estimated 59,000 annual human rabies deaths in Africa and Asia are attributed to dog bites and are preventable through parenteral dog vaccination. In addition to dog rabies, the rabies virus also circulates in wildlife carnivores in southern Africa and virus exchange occurs readily across species barriers. In the early 1900s, rabies outbreaks were brought under control by the restriction of animal movements and by killing stray dogs. Subsequently, the disease was effectively controlled through vaccination. One prerequisite for rabies control is a thorough knowledge of dog populations. In Africa, only a few mass dog vaccination campaigns have reached the 70% coverage believed to minimise the spread of the disease. Live attenuated vaccines, such as SAG-2, used to control fox rabies in Europe, are safe for nontarget species, making oral vaccination an appealing complementary approach for dog rabies control in Africa. The success of rabies control in KwaZulu/Natal (South Africa) and Serengeti (Tanzania) is an excellent example of how publicprivate partnerships (PPPs) can contribute to the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies in Africa by 2030. Such PPPs are pivotal and will enhance public health awareness, promote mass dog vaccinations and improve accessibility to post-exposure prophylaxis.

Incidence and seroprevalence of rabies virus in humans, dogs and other animal species in Africa, a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Accordingly, a coordinated and pluriannual program of rabies control with vaccination campaigns targeting both owned and stray dogs of owned in KwaZulu-Natal resulted in outstanding success towards rabies elimination [ 95 ]. It has become evident that an efficient mass vaccination for rabies must include stray dogs in the required 70% coverage of dog population [ 96 ]. This evidence prompted Bourhy and collaborators to integrate hands on vaccination of stray dogs in all round of customized online and onsite training for rabies-control officers in endemic regions in Africa [ 97 ].…”

Carnivore Detection at the Domestic/Wildlife Interface within Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

“…Disease impacts must be managed to ensure the survival and conservation of endangered species with limited gene pools, such as leopard, cheetah, and wild dog [ 15 , 69 ]. Rabies in endangered species is an important consideration that can be prevented through the use of oral vaccinations or dropout darts [ 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Reserves that border domestic areas can also encourage the vaccination of domestic animals for rabies in the area, and this approach was effective in the Serengeti [ 73 , 74 ].…”

Tackling COVID-19 through the One Health Approach

“…The virus also circulates in wildlife, especially wild bats and racoons where they can also be transmitted to domestic animals that come in contact with them [55]. The strong knowledge of the transmission link of the virus between dogs and humans led the effective control of the disease through vaccination of dogs and this has proven effective till date ( [56][57][58].…”