Temporal trend and high-risk areas of rabies occurrences in animals in Nepal from 2005 to 2018

Rabies is an important zoonosis in both the public and animal health domains. The occurrences of animal rabies have been continuously reported in Nepal. For the effective control and management of animal rabies, a better understanding of rabies epidemiology is essential. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the spatial distribution and to describe the epidemiological characteristics of animal rabies occurrences in Nepal. Official reports of rabies occurrences from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed using the Global Moran’s Index and Local Moran’s Index. The study revealed an increasing trend in the later years of the study period after 2014 with occurrences clustered around the southern region of the country. For the overall period, the high—high clustering areas were mostly found in Dailekh and Kailali. In addition, different areas were visualized as high-risk areas in various years. This study identified the high-risk areas of rabies; thus, authorities and stakeholders can utilize this finding in enhancing the rabies control program in the country