Prevention and Control of Rabies in Animals and Humans in Ethiopia

Abstract

Summary Rabies, a viral disease caused bylyssa virus of family Rhabdoviridae. It is a fatal zoonotic disease with worldwide occurrence and endemic in developing countries of Africa and Asia. The disease generally affects all warm-blooded animals, even though it is primarily a disease of dogs in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. More than 95% of human rabies cases are due to bites by infected animals, predominantly from saliva of domestic dogs. Once clinical symptoms appear, it is almost 100% fatal, in which the disease is one of the major public-health burdens in Ethiopia. The country has the second most rabies related deaths in Africa. Although it is entirely preventable, nearly 3000 lives are lost every year in Ethiopia, with high economic burden and Daily Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs). Mass dog vaccination along with prompt administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to bite victims, public awareness and ‘One-Health’ approach are successful elements for rabies prevention and control programmes. Low effort of animal rabies control by government and stake holders, lack of finance, limited rabies diagnostic capacity, neglect and lack of coordination and among others are the challenges holding back not to control a century long deadly disease in resource limited African countries like Ethiopia. Thus, this paper provides a brief overview of the varied measures for Rabies prevention and control in animals and humans in Ethiopia. ELISA: Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay; ERIG: Equine Rabies Immunoglobulin; FAT: Fluorescent Antibody Test; GARC: Global Alliance for Rabies Control; HRIG: Human Rabies Immunoglobulin; HDCV: Human Diploid Cell Vaccine; IU: International Unit; MEEREB: Middle East and Central Eastern Europe Rabies Expert Bureau; OIE: World Organization for Animal Health (Organization International des Epizootes); PEP: Post Exposure Prophylaxis; PrEP: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; PCECV: Purified Chick Embryo Cell Vaccine; PRP: Partners for Rabies Prevention; RABV: Rabies Virus; RIA: Rabies in Asia Foundation; RIG: Rabies Immunoglobulin; RMCV: Rhesus Monkey Kidney Cell Vaccine; RNA: Ribonucleic Acid; RT-PCR: Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction; SEARG: Southern and Eastern Africa Rabies Group; UK: United Kingdom; USD: United States Dollar; UV: Ultra Violet; WHO: World Health Organization because the clinical findings are similar to those of furious and dumb rabies. In acute lead poisoning, the common clinical findings are blindness, convulsions, death within 2 and 4 days after onset, pharyngeal paralysis, dysphagia, weakness and recumbency. 7. Vitamin A deficiency in cattle- occurs in groups of young cattle from 6 months to 18 months of age not receiving adequate carotene intake or vitamin A supplementation and is characterized by blindness in the ocular form and episodes of tremors and convulsions.