Rabies control and elimination: a test case for One Health

Abstract

One Health approaches have already been shown to be successful in controlling rabies in different parts of the world. In this article, the latest in Veterinary Record's series promoting One Health, Sarah Cleaveland and her colleagues at the University of Glasgow discuss why integrated strategies are needed to enhance the cost effectiveness of measures to control and eliminate rabies, particularly in low-income countries.

Mass dog vaccination underpins the success of canine rabies control and has been shown to be feasible in most settings in Africa and Asia. Here, owners wait in line to get their dogs vaccinated by an NGO-funded programme in Matongo village, close to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

Chart showing the estimated annual number of human deaths from major zoonotic diseases, adapted from Lembo and others (2010). Additional data on leptospirosis were obtained from WHO (1999), based on a 10 per cent case fatality rate for an estimated 500,000 cases worldwide. Revised figures for Ebola deaths (1427 deaths in 2014) were also obtained from the WHO (2014)

While rabies vaccines are widely available and rabies control should be considered a public good, many government veterinary services charge dog owners for vaccination. In low-income areas, this can discourage owners from vaccinating their animals, thereby detracting from control efforts

Laboratory personnel in Tanzania performing rabies diagnostic testing on animal samples. Separation of laboratory facilities for diagnostic testing of human and animal samples is costly and hampers the exchange of information and expertise needed for integrated surveillance and control of zoonoses