Feasibility of oral rabies vaccination campaigns of young foxes (Vulpes vulpes) against rabies in summer

Planning control programs, for diseases such as rabies requires information on the size and structure of the dog and cat population. In order to evaluate the dog population of the urban area of Araçatuba city, S. Paulo State, Brazil, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire to interview members of households. Eighty-eight districts were visited (37,778 houses) and the interview was possible at 77.93% of these. Human population size evaluated was 113,157 inhabitants. Houses that owned animals represented 55.2%, 26,926 of the animals concerned were dogs and 5,755 were cats. Of the dogs, 56.64% were 1-4 year olds and males represented 56.2% of the total population. Dog: person ratio was estimated at 2.8 dogs to every 10 persons, almost 3 times the ratio hitherto estimated and used in the planning of rabies vaccination campaigns.

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Development of a Non-Meat-Based, Mass Producible and Effective Bait for Oral Vaccination of Dogs against Rabies in Goa State, India

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease ◽

10.3390/tropicalmed4030118 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 118 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Andrew D. Gibson ◽

Stella Mazeri ◽

Gowri Yale ◽

Santosh Desai ◽

Vilas Naik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Cavity ◽

Scale Up ◽

Meat Products ◽

Target Population ◽

Human Rabies ◽

High Uptake ◽

Minimum Requirements ◽

Global Goal ◽

Vaccination Campaigns ◽

Rabies Vaccination

Introduction: To achieve the global goal of canine-mediated human rabies elimination by 2030 there is an urgent need to scale-up mass dog vaccination activities in regions with large dog populations that are difficult to access; a common situation in much of India. Oral rabies vaccination may enable the vaccination of free-roaming dogs that are inaccessible to parenteral vaccination, and is considered a promising complementary measure to parenteral mass dog vaccination campaigns. WHO and OIE have published detailed minimum requirements for rabies vaccines and baits to be used for this purpose, requiring that baits must not only be well-accepted by the target population but must also efficiently release the vaccine in the oral cavity. For oral rabies vaccination approaches to be successful, it is necessary to develop baits which have a high uptake by the target population, are culturally accepted and amenable to mass production. The aim of this study was to compare the interest and uptake rates of meat-based and an egg-based prototype bait constructs by free roaming dogs in Goa, India. Methods: Three teams randomly distributed two prototype baits; an egg-flavoured bait and a commercial meat dog food (gravy) flavoured bait. The outcomes of consumption were recorded and compared between baits and dog variables. Results: A total of 209 egg-bait and 195 gravy-bait distributions were recorded and analysed. No difference (p = 0.99) was found in the percentage of dogs interested in the baits when offered. However, significantly more dogs consumed the egg-bait than the gravy-bait; 77.5% versus 68.7% (p = 0.04). The release of the blue-dyed water inside the sachet in the oral cavity of the animals was significant higher in the dogs consuming an egg-bait compared to the gravy-bait (73.4% versus 56.7%, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The egg-based bait had a high uptake amongst free roaming dogs and also enabled efficient release of the vaccine in the oral cavity, whilst also avoiding culturally relevant materials of bovine or porcine meat products.

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A Novel Integrated and Labile eHealth System for Monitoring Dog Rabies Vaccination Campaigns

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines7030108 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 108 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andre Coetzer ◽

Terence P. Scott ◽

Khadija Noor ◽

Lambert F. Gwenhure ◽

Louis H. Nel

Keyword(s):

Capital City ◽

Data Logger ◽

Global Alliance ◽

Resource Limited Settings ◽

High Coverage ◽

Resource Limited ◽

First Case ◽

Vaccination Campaigns ◽

Rabies Vaccination

The elimination of canine rabies through the implementation of high coverage mass dog vaccination campaigns is a complex task, particularly in the resource-limited countries of the rabies endemic world. Here we demonstrated the feasibility of applying targeted rabies vaccination campaigns to deliver more impactful intervention campaigns in resource-limited settings using evidence and lessons learnt from other diseases. With the use of strategic rabies intervention programs, we demonstrate the noteworthy reduction of rabies cases in two very different African settings. The strategic intervention was most significantly aided by the use of a custom-developed vaccination tracking device (the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) Data Logger) and an integrated rabies surveillance system (the Rabies Epidemiological Bulletin). Our first case study, an island-wide strategic dog vaccination on Tanzania’s Unguja island, reduced the incidence of rabies by 71% in the first 16 months of implementation. In the second case study, a similar approach was applied in the metropolitan capital city of Zimbabwe and the incidence of rabies declined by 13% during the first 13 months of implementation. The methodologies and results presented here suggest that, in resource-limited settings, an optimal approach towards the elimination of dog rabies would revolve around strategic interventions, subject to the use of appropriate planning, surveillance, and vaccination tools.

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Wildlife and Bait Density Monitoring to Describe the Effectiveness of a Rabies Vaccination Program in Foxes

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease ◽

10.3390/tropicalmed5010032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Paolo Tizzani ◽

Angela Fanelli ◽

Carsten Potzsch ◽

Joerg Henning ◽

Srdjan Šašić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Red Fox ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Oral Vaccination ◽

Density Data ◽

The Balkans ◽

Critical Areas ◽

Vaccination Campaigns ◽

Time Evaluation ◽

Rabies Vaccination ◽

Wildlife Reservoir

Fox rabies has been eliminated from vast areas of West and Central Europe, but cases still occur in the Balkans. Oral vaccination is an effective method for reducing the incidence of the disease in wildlife, but it requires monitoring if bait density is adequate for the density of the wildlife reservoir. We developed a methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of aerial vaccination campaigns conducted in Montenegro during autumn 2011 and spring 2012. The effectiveness of the vaccination campaign was assessed by (i) estimating the density of baits, (ii) estimating the distribution of the red fox, (iii) identifying critical areas of insufficient bait density by combining both variables. Although the two vaccination campaigns resulted in 45% and 47% of the country’s total area not reaching recommended density of 20 baits/km2, the consecutive delivery of both campaigns reduced these “gaps” to 6%. By combining bait and reservoir density data, we were able to show that bait density was lower than fox density in only 5% of Montenegro’s territory. The methodology described can be used for real-time evaluation of aerial vaccine delivery campaigns, to identify areas with insufficient bait densities.

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Development of a high number, high coverage dog rabies vaccination programme in Sri Lanka.

10.21203/rs.2.12733/v2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Sánchez Soriano ◽

Andrew D. Gibson ◽

Luke Gamble ◽

Jordana L. Burdon Bailey ◽

Samantha Green ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽

High Coverage ◽

Male Adult ◽

Vaccination Campaigns ◽

Static Point ◽

Rabies Vaccination

Abstract Background: Rabies is estimated to cause 59,000 deaths and economic losses of 8.6 billion USD every year. Despite several years of rabies surveillance and awareness programmes, increased availability of post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations and dog population control, the disease still remains prevalent in Sri Lanka. This study reports the development and roll-out of a high number, high coverage canine rabies vaccination campaign in Sri Lanka, providing estimates for the vaccination coverage achieved, analysing the local dog demographics, and identifying barriers of attendance to static vaccination clinics. Methods: A mass dog vaccination campaign was undertaken in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The campaign was composed of static point and door-to-door vaccination stages, with a final survey of vaccination coverage. A large volume of data on the distribution, health, and signalment of vaccinated dogs was collected through a mobile phone application. A logistic regression model was developed to investigate which socio-spatial and dog-related factors influenced attendance of owners to static vaccination points. Results: The campaign vaccinated over 7,800 dogs achieving a vaccination coverage of 75.8%. A dog:human ratio of 1:17 was estimated. Most dogs were owned, and the dog population was mostly male, adult, and non-sterilized. Unawareness, unavailability and handling problems were the most common reasons given by owners to explain failure to attend a static vaccination point. The regression analysis showed that increasing distance to a static point, in addition to young age and poor health of the dog, were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of attendance to a static vaccination points. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of high number, high coverage vaccination campaigns in Sri Lanka. The information on dog ecology and barriers of attendance to a static point vaccination clinic will facilitate development of future vaccination campaigns.

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DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH NUMBER, HIGH COVERAGE DOG RABIES VACCINATION PROGRAMME IN SRI LANKA

10.21203/rs.2.12733/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Sánchez Soriano ◽

Andrew D. Gibson ◽

Luke Gamble ◽

Jordana L. Burdon Bailey ◽

Samantha Green ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽

High Coverage ◽

Male Adult ◽

Vaccination Campaigns ◽

Static Point ◽

Rabies Vaccination

Abstract Background: Rabies is estimated to cause 59,000 deaths and economic losses of 8.6 billion USD every year. Despite several years of rabies surveillance and awareness programmes, increased availability of post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations and dog population control, the disease still remains prevalent in Sri Lanka. This study reports the development and roll-out of a high number, high coverage canine rabies vaccination campaign in Sri Lanka, providing estimates for the vaccination coverage achieved, analysing the local dog demographics, and identifying barriers of attendance to static vaccination clinics. Methods: A mass dog vaccination campaign was undertaken in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The campaign was composed of static point and door-to-door vaccination stages, with a final survey of vaccination coverage. A large volume of data on the distribution, health, and signalment of vaccinated dogs was collected through a mobile phone application. A logistic regression model was developed to investigate which socio-spatial and dog-related factors influenced attendance of owners to static vaccination points. Results: The campaign vaccinated over 7,800 dogs achieving a vaccination coverage of 75.8%. A dog:human ratio of 1:17 was estimated. Most dogs were owned, and the dog population was mostly male, adult, and non-sterilized. Unawareness, unavailability and handling problems were the most common reasons given by owners to explain failure to attend a static vaccination point. The regression analysis showed that increasing distance to a static point, in addition to young age and poor health of the dog, were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of attendance to a static vaccination points. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of high number, high coverage vaccination campaigns in Sri Lanka. The information on dog ecology and barriers of attendance to a static point vaccination clinic will facilitate development of future vaccination campaigns.

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