Rabies control measures implemented in DR Congo

In August 2013, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) started a rabies intervention in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo after an alarming number of people were bitten by rabid dogs, and at least 10 people died. Doctors will provide PEP to people bitten or scratched by a suspected rabid dog in the Lemera region in the province of South Kivu.

After decades of conflict and instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo, measures to control canine rabies have not been implemented, and data on the size of the problem is simply not available.

 “The current rabies situation now affecting humans in Lemera is exceptional and must be urgently addressed,” said Dr Jantina Mandelkow, who is leading the MSF team. “We’re doing all we can but we urge others to recognise the severity of the situation and commit resources to its containment and resolution.”

Summarised by Louise Taylor, from the MSF press release. With a barely operational health infrastructure and escalating violence in the east of the country, it is hard to see how an effective  canine rabies control programme could be established, and protecting human lives through the provision of PEP would appear to be the only possible option at this time.