Abstract:
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 di erent 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.
