Rabies intervention in Tanzania: An innovative animal vaccination model to train One Health focused student workforces to control and eliminate rabies

Résumé fourni par la source

Abstract Background: Every year at least 59,000 people are estimated to die from rabies and more than 10 million are treated with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Over 99% of human rabies deaths occur in developing countries due to bites from domestic dogs. Large-scale mass dog vaccination programs can control dog rabies and, if sustained, can eliminate dog-mediated rabies. However, there has been very little investment in mass dog vaccination against rabies in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to limited human and financial resources. To overcome this limitation, we piloted the delivery of synchronized dog vaccinations using a temporary workforce of university students. Fifty university students from Sokoine University of Agriculture and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences were selected to deliver dog vaccinations throughout the Kisarawe district in Tanzania in May 2021. We analysed the vaccination coverage achieved and the cost per dog vaccinated in delivering dog vaccinations using the university students compared to the traditional delivery. Results: A total of 1,457 dogs and 242 cats were vaccinated across 48 villages in the Kisarawe district of Tanzania over the course of five days. The overall cost in delivering mass dog vaccinations was estimated at US$ 28,990 equating to approximately US$19.90 per vaccinated dog. Post-vaccination transects were conducted in all 48 villages where dog vaccinations were implemented, counting 387 dogs. Of these, 54% dogs (N=210) were vaccinated against rabies, 67% (N=258) were free-roaming dogs and 72% of dogs encountered were adult (N=277). The overall district-level mean vaccination coverage was estimated to be 54.3% (CI 49.3% - 59.6). Conclusions: We demonstrated that using university students as a One Health workforce is effective in accelerating the countries’ efforts to meet the global target of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.