International collaboration protects dogs, people and wildlife against rabies

Daktari is an Andorran NGO for veterinary cooperation in East Africa. It was founded by Dr. Jesús Muro (Veterinary Officer from Andorra Government), Professor Ignasi Marco (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona) and Dr. Vicky Ticó (Veterinarian from Andorra) in 2013. Its work includes the veterinary cooperation activities started in 2010 funded by the Andorran Government (Andorra Cooperació), with the collaboration of the veterinary authorities and Makerere University in Uganda.

The  project aims to bring veterinary support to rural communities living in and around areas protected for wildlife, but also to promote other complementary projects with the shared objectives of biodiversity conservation, animal welfare and public health.

Last January and February the team worked around two protected areas in western Uganda: Mgahinga and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. We had the collaboration of four veterinary students from Andorra, Spain and Uganda and one PhD student from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) of the University of London.

The work is done in partnership with local communities, through local NGOs, such as Mgahinga Community Development Organization (MCDO), in Kisoro District, and prestigious international associations, such as Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area. These organizations are responsible for transmitting information about the date and place on which the activities will be carried out, to rural communities through radio announcements.

One of the objectives of the project is dog vaccination against rabies, in an effort to control the disease in dogs, humans (especially children) and wildlife, such as lions, jackals and hyenas.

This year a total of 445 dogs were vaccinated, 84 dogs around the Mgahinga Area (Kisoro District) and 361 in Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (Kasese and Katerere Districts). All dogs received a single rabies vaccine dose (donated by Prosan Lleida, Spain), were orally dewormed with Albendazol 10% and subcutaneously with ivermectine.

In addition, a dose of Albendazol or Milbeciline was given to the owners for the dog to be treated after one month. Dogs were collared with a vinyl collar, with a specific code and an Official certificate was also given to the owners.

Also, sterilization of dogs was offered on a voluntary basis.  A mobile field surgical theater was used and veterinary students were trained, in order to improve their capacity. A total of 60 animals (males and females) were sterilized.

At the same time, a proportion of dogs were sampled for whole blood, sera, fecal samples and ectoparasites to look further into viral and parasitological diseases.

After 5 years of veterinary cooperation, no new cases of rabies have been reported in the Mgahinga Area. However, in Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area, rabies is still reported in animals and humans. The project is appreciated by local communities and governmental and non-governmental organizations, and we plan to expand the project to nearby areas in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the near future,  an Education Project will be implemented for  schools in Mgahinga and Queen Elizabeth Areas, including basic principles of animal husbandry, main animal diseases, including zoonosis, and wildlife conservation, with visits to the protected areas, to emphasize the extraordinary biodiversity richness of this area .

Submitted by Dr. Jesus Muro, DVM, MSc, Veterinary Officer from Andorra Government and President of Daktari, and Dr. Ignasi Marco, DVM, PhD, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona.