Descriptive spatial and spatio-temporal analysis of the 2000-2005 canine rabies endemic in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Spatiotemporal patterns of rabid dogs and cats and the opinions of personnel responsible for disease control in Thailand

The aim of this study was to evaluate the patterns of rabies cases in dogs and cats in Thailand from 2013 to 2016 via spatiotemporal analysis. We also assessed the opinions of responsible district-level personnel regarding risk factors and control measures for rabies. Evaluation of rabies case patterns was based on secondary data from a national online database, and a structured questionnaire was used to obtain the opinions of district-level personnel. A total of 1202 cases (1202/13058, 9.21 %) of rabid dogs and cats were documented between 2013 and 2016, with the majority of cases involving dogs (1165/13058; 8.92 %). The spatiotemporal analysis indicated that most of the cases were recorded in central Thailand and that there was a general trend of an increase in rabies cases from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2016. Month-by-month analysis for each year suggested that the number of rabies cases tended to increase over the course of the year in 2013 and 2016. Results from the autocorrelation indicated that the correlation coefficient tended to be similar in adjacent time lags. In terms of the opinion analysis, only one factor (i.e., the presence of a forest that served as a habitat for carrier animals in the district) was statistically significant (P < 0.05) in the final binary logistic regression model. The results of this study may facilitate planning for effective rabies control in Thailand.

Spatial patterns and risk of aggression of dogs and cats in a central township of Mexico City

Dog and cat aggressions are public health concerns associated with rabies transmission to the human population. The social and environmental conditions of marginalized and urban areas stand a risk due to people's contact with dogs. This study aimed to identify spatial patterns related to dog and cat aggression in a densely populated area in the center of Mexico City, analyzing the risk of aggression at the census unit level in the 2018-2020 triennium. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Coyoacán, in the south-central area of Mexico City's urbanized region. The total number of cases (n = 1,078) was obtained from monthly records of aggressions by dogs and cats, from the Control and Prevention of Zoonoses-Rabies Program of the Coyoacán Sanitary Jurisdiction. The information collected was related to the victims and the aggressors. Associations between the occurrence of bites and the characteristics of the victim were evaluated using a geographic information system (GIS), as well as the spatio-temporal distribution of the aggressions to the census unit level. Out of 1,078 cases reported, 977 (90.6%) were caused by dogs and 101 (9.4%) by cats, 55.1% (n = 587) occurred within the same household, and 13.7% (n = 148) were categorized as severe injuries. Adult men were the most affected group. Attacks on the street had a higher risk of resulting in a severe injury, compared to those that occurred at home (OR 1.63, 95CI 1.15 - 2.31, p <0.006). According to the standardized rate of the triennium, the values ​​ranged between 54.1 and 619 aggressions per 100,000 inhabitants, and summer was the season with a higher probability of occurrence. These results provide a basis for the analytical investigation of the spatial patterns of dog and cat aggression, highlighting the need to implement efficient surveillance systems and public health strategies.

Where and when to vaccinate? Interdisciplinary design and evaluation of the 2018 Tanzanian anti-rabies campaign

OBJECTIVES

Hoping to improve health-related effectiveness, a two-phase vaccination against rabies was designed and executed in northern Tanzania in 2018, which included geo-epidemiological and economic perspectives.

METHODS

Considering the local bio-geography and attempting to rapidly establish a protective ring around a city at risk, the first phase intervened on sites surrounding that city, where the population density was lower than in the city at risk. The second phase vaccinated a rural area.

RESULTS

No rabies-related case has been reported in the vaccinated areas for over a year post-immunisation; hence, the campaign is viewed as highly cost-effective. Other metrics included: rapid implementation (concluded in half the time spent on other campaigns) and the estimated cost per protected life, which was 3.28 times lower than in similar vaccinations.

CONCLUSIONS

The adopted design emphasised local bio-geographical dynamics: it prevented the occurrence of an epidemic in a city with a higher demographic density than its surrounding area and it also achieved greater effectiveness than average interventions. These interdisciplinary, policy-oriented experiences have broad and immediate applications in settings of limited and/or time-sensitive (expertise, personnel, and time available to intervene) resources and conditions.

Canine Rabies in the Brazil-Bolivia Border Region from 2006 to 2014

BACKGROUND

After 2006 the cross-border region between the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil) and the Germán Busch Province (Bolivia) became risk areas for canine rabies antigenic variant 1, previously unknown in the Brazilian territory.

OBJECTIVES

To perform a descriptive analysis of canine rabies from 2006 to 2014, analyzing the database of the official rabies diagnostic laboratory of the State Agency of Animal and Plant Health Protection of Mato Grosso do Sul.

METHODS

A descriptive analysis of canine rabies from 2006 to 2014 was performed using the database of the official rabies diagnostic laboratory of the State Agency of Animal and Plant Health Protection of Mato Grosso do Sul. Location, time and residence status of the animals were analyzed. Monthly frequencies were calculated as the ratio of the number of positive samples to the total of sent samples and were then statistically compared.

FINDINGS

In the period, 539 samples of nervous system from dogs and cats were sent for rabies diagnosis, of which 37 (6.9%; CI95% 5.0-9.3) canine and no positive feline samples were found positive. Twenty-four (64.9%, CI95% 48.8-78.2) positive samples were from Bolivia and 13 (31.1%, CI95% 21.8-51.2) from Brazil. Most positive animals were owned. The years 2008 and 2009 showed the highest occurrence of canine rabies, with 18 cases recorded in 2008 and 6 in 2009 (17 in Bolivia and 7 in Brazil). Annual samples sent in Brazil presented a decreasing trend (R2 = 0.53) and, over the months, a higher concentration of samples was observed between May and August (R2 = 0.69). No annual or monthly trends were observed for Bolivian samples (R2 < 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

AgV1 canine rabies due to antigenic variant 1 is still considered an endemic disease in the Brazil-Bolivia border region, requiring an international One Health Approach to mitigate canine rabies in Latin America.

Comparing Methods of Assessing Dog Rabies Vaccination Coverage in Rural and Urban Communities in Tanzania

Rabies can be eliminated by achieving comprehensive coverage of 70% of domestic dogs during annual mass vaccination campaigns. Estimates of vaccination coverage are, therefore, required to evaluate and manage mass dog vaccination programs; however, there is no specific guidance for the most accurate and efficient methods for estimating coverage in different settings. Here, we compare post-vaccination transects, school-based surveys, and household surveys across 28 districts in southeast Tanzania and Pemba island covering rural, urban, coastal and inland settings, and a range of different livelihoods and religious backgrounds. These approaches were explored in detail in a single district in northwest Tanzania (Serengeti), where their performance was compared with a complete dog population census that also recorded dog vaccination status. Post-vaccination transects involved counting marked (vaccinated) and unmarked (unvaccinated) dogs immediately after campaigns in 2,155 villages (24,721 dogs counted). School-based surveys were administered to 8,587 primary school pupils each representing a unique household, in 119 randomly selected schools approximately 2 months after campaigns. Household surveys were conducted in 160 randomly selected villages (4,488 households) in July/August 2011. Costs to implement these coverage assessments were $12.01, $66.12, and $155.70 per village for post-vaccination transects, school-based, and household surveys, respectively. Simulations were performed to assess the effect of sampling on the precision of coverage estimation. The sampling effort required to obtain reasonably precise estimates of coverage from household surveys is generally very high and probably prohibitively expensive for routine monitoring across large areas, particularly in communities with high human to dog ratios. School-based surveys partially overcame sampling constraints, however, were also costly to obtain reasonably precise estimates of coverage. Post-vaccination transects provided precise and timely estimates of community-level coverage that could be used to troubleshoot the performance of campaigns across large areas. However, transects typically overestimated coverage by around 10%, which therefore needs consideration when evaluating the impacts of campaigns. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these different methods and make recommendations for how vaccination campaigns can be better monitored and managed at different stages of rabies control and elimination programs.

Geographical analysis of the distribution and spread of human rabies in china from 2005 to 2011

Background

Rabies is a significant public health problem in China in that it records the second highest case incidence globally. Surveillance data on canine rabies in China is lacking and human rabies notifications can be a useful indicator of areas where animal and human rabies control could be integrated. Previous spatial epidemiological studies lacked adequate spatial resolution to inform targeted rabies control decisions. We aimed to describe the spatiotemporal distribution of human rabies and model its geographical spread to provide an evidence base to inform future integrated rabies control strategies in China.

Methods

We geo-referenced a total of 17,760 human rabies cases of China from 2005 to 2011. In our spatial analyses we used Gaussian kernel density analysis, average nearest neighbor distance, Spatial Temporal Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise and developed a model of rabies spatiotemporal spread.

Findings

Human rabies cases increased from 2005 to 2007 and decreased during 2008 to 2011 companying change of the spatial distribution. The ANN distance among human rabies cases increased between 2005 and 2011, and the degree of clustering of human rabies cases decreased during that period. A total 480 clusters were detected by ST-DBSCAN, 89.4% clusters initiated before 2007. Most of clusters were mainly found in South of China. The number and duration of cluster decreased significantly after 2008. Areas with the highest density of human rabies cases varied spatially each year and in some areas remained with high outbreak density for several years. Though few places have recovered from human rabies, most of affected places are still suffering from the disease.

Conclusion

Human rabies in mainland China is geographically clustered and its spatial extent changed during 2005 to 2011. The results provide a scientific basis for public health authorities in China to improve human rabies control and prevention program.

Antibody response to an anti-rabies vaccine in a dog population under field conditions in Bolivia

Rabies remains an important public health issue in Bolivia, South America. Public concern and fears are most focussed on dogs as the source of rabies. The objective of the present study was to assess immunity of an inactivated suckling mouse brain vaccine against canine rabies used for the official vaccination campaigns under field conditions in an endemic area of rabies in Bolivia. A total of 236 vaccinated and 44 unvaccinated dogs in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, selected using stratified random sampling, were investigated in order to obtain owned dog characteristics and antibody titres against rabies in April 2007. The proportion of vaccinated dogs with an antibody titre exceeded the protection threshold value of 0.5 EU/ml was 58% [95% confidence intervals (CI): 52-65], indicating that vaccination is likely to elicit an antibody response (odds ratio 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2-11.5). The range of geometric mean of antibody titre for vaccinated dogs (0.89 EU/ml; 95% CI: 0.75-1.04) was considered to meet the minimal acceptable level indicating an adequate immune response to the vaccine. However, the titre level was not satisfactory in comparison with the results from other field investigations with inactivated tissue culture vaccines. It is recommended for public health authorities to (1) consider modernizing their vaccine manufacturing method because the level of immunity induced by the current vaccine is comparably low, (2) conduct frequent vaccination campaigns to maintain high levels of vaccination coverage, and (3) actively manage the domestic dog population in the study area, which is largely responsible for rabies maintenance.