AFRICA UNITES TO COMBAT RABIES

11 Jun 2015

11 June 2015 – 2000h CET

Leading public health and veterinary experts from 34 different countries have come together to co-ordinate efforts to combat rabies in Africa.

The Pan-African Rabies Control Network (PARACON) is an unprecedented new venture to support rabies control efforts across the entire African continent.

Experts met this week (9-11 June) in Gauteng in South Africa to share experiences of rabies control and to urge governments to adopt effective rabies elimination programmes. It is the first PARACON Conference and already most African countries were represented.

The Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), which coordinates the network, has developed a Blueprint for eliminating the disease, along with the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Participants at the PARACON conference have committed to redouble their efforts to adopt the Blueprint’s Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination (SARE).The Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination supports national governments of rabies endemic countries in tackling the rabies threat.

Delegates agreed that the tools are available to eliminate rabies and that mass dog vaccination is the best means possible but there remain problems of poor surveillance, inadequate diagnosis and reporting of data.

It is estimated that 21,500 people in Africa die from rabies every year.*

“Africa has the highest per capita rate of human rabies in the world”

Professor Louis Nel, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Rabies Control: “Rabies is a neglected disease across all of Africa, and the continent suffers the highest per capita rate of human rabies deaths in the world. The tragedy is that each of these deaths is unnecessary and could have been avoided.

“For me, the creation of the Pan-African Rabies Control Network (PARACON) is a dream come true. The purpose of this organisation is to form a united Pan-African front against rabies. We have all the tools and evidence that dog rabies can be controlled and eliminated and that human rabies can be prevented. What is needed is a Pan-Continental approach and strategy. This where PARACON presents such a phenomenal opportunity.

“I am reminded of this African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ We are very deliberate in the case of this fatal and unnecessary disease. Indeed, we want to go all the way in eliminating dog rabies and to this end, we know that we need to go together.”

“Dog rabies surveillance starts at community level”

Dr Katinka de Balogh, Senior Officer-Veterinary Public Health at the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said, “If communities do not report to the veterinary services dogs suspected with rabies, this information will never be recorded.

“If communities report suspected cases of rabies, the authorities also need to take action, for example, by organising dog vaccination and public awareness campaigns.”
 

“We are thinking big”

Dr Bernadette Abela-Ridder, Team-leader, Neglected Zoonotic Diseases, WHO said, “Rabies elimination is feasible now with current tools. Rabies is vaccine-preventable for dogs and humans.  Vaccinating dogs prevents human deaths. We are thinking big. If need be, start small and scale up fast to build the momentum and the critical mass on the continent of Africa to stop human deaths from rabies.”

“Dog-mediated human rabies elimination in Africa is feasible”

Dr Gregorio Torres, Scientific and Technical Officer, OIE, said, “The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is strongly committed to supporting efforts to address the significant human and animal health costs associated with rabies. Dog-mediated human rabies elimination in Africa is feasible through the effective vaccination of dogs using high quality vaccines. Veterinary Services have a crucial role to play in implementing rabies elimination strategies in collaboration with public health authorities and other stakeholders at the local, national and regional level following the One Health approach."

NOTES:

*http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003709

1.Recommendations from the PARACON Conference 9 -11 June, 2015

PARACON members:

  • Consider rabies to be a neglected disease that should be prioritised.
  • Consider rabies control a public good and a social responsibility.
  • Consider rabies an obvious fit for the multi-sectoral One-Health Approach.
  • Declare that the tools, methods and evidence base for elimination of canine rabies exists.
  • Consider the vaccination of dogs is the priority activity towards the elimination of canine rabies.
  • Aspire to a canine-mediated human rabies elimination target in Africa, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Consider the Canine Rabies Blueprint/SARE as useful tools in the development of national rabies control and elimination plans, with the intention to measure progress along the different stages towards elimination.
  • Consider World Rabies Day (September 28th) an opportunity for rabies advocacy on all levels concerned - community, provincial, national, regional and beyond.
  1. African leaders will be discussing health surveillance and health systems following the Ebola Crisis at the African Union Summit 7-15 June, 2015.