Epidemiological aspects of the persistent transmission of rabies during an outbreak (2010 – 2017) in Harare, Zimbabwe

dc.contributor.authorCoetzer, Andre
dc.contributor.authorGwenhure, Lambert
dc.contributor.authorMakaya, Pious
dc.contributor.authorMarkotter, Wanda
dc.contributor.authorNel, Louis Hendrik
dc.contributor.emaillouis.nel@up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2020-07-13T14:06:44Z
dc.date.available2020-07-13T14:06:44Z
dc.date.issued2019-01-10
dc.descriptionS1 Table. A panel of rabies virus partial DNA sequences from Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries included in the phylogenetic analysis performed in this study.en_ZA
dc.descriptionS2 Table. Epidemiological surveillance data collected between 2010 and 2017 in and around the Harare city limits during an outbreak of canine-mediated rabies.en_ZA
dc.descriptionS3 Table. Distribution of rabies-positive samples within the suburbs and peri-urban areas of the Harare Metropolitan province during the outbreak, 2010–2017.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractCanine-mediated human rabies is endemic to the entire African continent, where the disease burden is often highest in rural communities of resource-limited countries. In this study, we analysed an animal rabies outbreak, which had persisted since 2010 in the predominantly metropolitan capital city of Zimbabwe, Harare. As rabies is considered to disproportionally affect rural communities, the persistence of urban rabies in this metropolitan setting is of interest. In order to gain an improved understanding of the epidemiology of the outbreak under investigation, we utilised both routine surveillance data that had been collected during the first eight years of the outbreak (2010–2017), as well as molecular epidemiological analyses relying on the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methodology. This approach allowed us to characterize virus transmission by identifying specific suburbs within the city limits where persistent disease transmission took place, while also confirming that immunologically naïve dogs were the most likely reservoir species in and around the city. In addition to gaining an improved local understanding of the outbreak, we are also able to infer that rabies was likely introduced to the city in 2010 when a rabid animal was moved from the north-east of Zimbabwe into Harare–resulting in an epizootic event. The work presented here not only showcased the value of combining conventional and molecular epidemiological data, but also highlighted the importance of maintaining rabies vaccination coverage and continued public awareness in urban areas where the risk appears to be low. By educating the general population on rabies and relying on owners to bring their companion animals to strategically placed vaccination points, the control and elimination of rabies from Harare may be feasible.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentBiochemistryen_ZA
dc.description.departmentGeneticsen_ZA
dc.description.departmentMedical Virologyen_ZA
dc.description.departmentMicrobiology and Plant Pathologyen_ZA
dc.description.librarianhj2020en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipWorld Animal Protection; Cooperative Agreement Number; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://journals.plos.org/plosoneen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCoetzer, A., Gwenhure, L., Makaya, P. et al. Epidemiological aspects of the persistent transmission of rabies during an outbreak (2010 – 2017) in Harare, Zimbabwe. PLoS ONE 2019, 14(1): e0210018. https://DOI.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210018.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1371/journal.pone.0210018
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/75191
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019 Coetzer et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectAnimal rabiesen_ZA
dc.subjectZimbabween_ZA
dc.subjectOutbreaken_ZA
dc.subjectRabiesen_ZA
dc.subjectEpidemiologyen_ZA
dc.titleEpidemiological aspects of the persistent transmission of rabies during an outbreak (2010 – 2017) in Harare, Zimbabween_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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