Lessons Learned and Paths Forward for Rabies Dog Vaccination in Madagascar: A Case Study of Pilot Vaccination Campaigns in Moramanga District

Canine rabies causes an estimated 60,000 human deaths per year, but these deaths are preventable through post-exposure prophylaxis of people and vaccination of domestic dogs. Dog vaccination campaigns targeting 70% of the population are effective at interrupting transmission. Here, we report on less...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Caitlynn Filla, Malavika Rajeev, Zoavina Randriana, Chantal Hanitriniana, Radoniaina R. Rafaliarison, Glenn Torrencelli Edosoa, Mamitiana Andriamananjara, Nivohanitra P. Razafindraibe, José Nely, Angelique Ferreira, Annie L. Yang, Fenomanana Daniel, Tara A. Clarke, Zachary Farris, Terry Stone, Jochem Lastdrager, Tsiky Rajaonarivelo, Katie Hampson, C. Jessica E. Metcalf, Kim Valenta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/6/2/48
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Summary:Canine rabies causes an estimated 60,000 human deaths per year, but these deaths are preventable through post-exposure prophylaxis of people and vaccination of domestic dogs. Dog vaccination campaigns targeting 70% of the population are effective at interrupting transmission. Here, we report on lessons learned during pilot dog vaccination campaigns in the Moramanga District of Madagascar. We compare two different vaccination strategies: a volunteer-driven effort to vaccinate dogs in two communes using static point vaccination and continuous vaccination as part of routine veterinary services. We used dog age data from the campaigns to estimate key demographic parameters and to simulate different vaccination strategies. Overall, we found that dog vaccination was feasible and that most dogs were accessible to vaccination. The static-point campaign achieved higher coverage but required more resources and had a limited geographic scope compared to the continuous delivery campaign. Our modeling results suggest that targeting puppies through community-based vaccination efforts could improve coverage. We found that mass dog vaccination is feasible and can achieve high coverage in Madagascar; however, context-specific strategies and an investment in dog vaccination as a public good will be required to move the country towards elimination.
ISSN:2414-6366