Rabies elimination: protecting vulnerable communities through their dogs – Authors' reply
Authors: Bernadette Abela-Ridder
Journal: The Lancet Global Health (2017)

The Global Conference on Rabies recognised the important need for a multipronged initiative to reduce the rabies burden, which not only bridges the animal-human interface but also mandates a broad and inclusive multisectoral programme of work, as reflected in the five pillars of rabies elimination. The target of achieving zero human rabies deaths by 2030 includes mass vaccination of dogs as one of the essential building blocks. Decades of experience highlighted at the conference has shown that investment in controlling rabies at its source via canine vaccination, is the key for preventing disease transmission.1Harishandra PAL Gunesekera A Janakan N Gongal G Abela-Ridder B Sri Lanka takes action towards a target of zero rabies death by 2020.WHO South East Asia J Public Health. 2016; 5: 113-116Google Scholar Achieving appropriate levels of dog vaccination (70% coverage) in highly enzootic areas is a major public health intervention in addition to improving health and welfare of animals. The joint World Organisation for Animal Health and WHO initiative for regional vaccine banks should be promoted and supported to ensure the timely provision of quality vaccines to facilitate the implementation of regional and national programmes. Rabies is most prevalent in rural and underserved communities with regard to human and animal health services, and information and awareness. Subsequently, individuals within these communities and their animals have poor access to human and animal health services.2Schildecker S Millen M Blanton JD et al.Dog ecology and barriers to canine rabies control in the Republic of Haiti, 2014–2015.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2016; (published online June 17)DOI:10.1111/tbed.12531PubMed Google Scholar Care for dogs is often further neglected as they are not perceived to have the same monetary value as livestock. However, programmes that encourage good dog management and promote responsible pet ownership are integral to successful canine and human rabies elimination programmes.3Davlin SL Vonville HM Canine rabies vaccination and domestic dog population characteristics in the developing world: a systematic review.Vaccine. 2012; 30: 3492-3502Crossref PubMed Scopus (142) Google Scholar As a neglected disease, rabies surveillance and global data4WHOWHO Global Health Observatory data. Neglected tropical diseases.http://www.who.int/gho/neglected_diseases/en/Google Scholar are rather poor quality and inconsistent. Increased programme activity, data quality, and volume will help to guide action and measure success, but affordable and practical surveillance guidance still requires improvement. Rabies elimination is achievable, and will represent a great public health accomplishment consistent with the six principles of The Global Vaccine Action Plan5WHOGlobal Vaccine Action Plan 2011–2020.http://www.who.int/immunization/global_vaccine_action_plan/en/Google Scholar—ownership, partnership, equity, integration, sustainability, and innovation. The tools for human rabies elimination are available, but success will depend on implementation of the five pillars and a sustained effort from stakeholders. I declare no competing interests. Rabies elimination: protecting vulnerable communities through their dogsBernadette Abela-Ridder and colleagues (November, 2016)1 describe the commendable joint efforts of WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control to control rabies on a global level, including their endorsement of a global framework to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. Domestic dogs are the main reservoir of infection in regions of Africa and Asia in which human deaths from rabies are highest. Full-Text PDF Open Access