Rabies Virus in Sierra Leone: Challenges and Recommended Solutions for Elimination by 2030

Abstract

The objective of this write-up is to find possible solution control canine rabies virus in Sierra Leone and other low-income countries in the world. Rabies is a viral disease affecting both humans and animals in Sierra Leone. The country has no policy on dog ownership and management, two veterinarians, limited access to rabies vaccines and human immunoglobin, and a lack of information about the disease in the country despite increasing dog bite cases and death. There is no wildlife specialist to initiate wildlife vaccination. Continuous vaccination increased awareness, trained personnel in veterinary and wildlife, development of policies on responsible dog ownership and by-laws and increase financial support from the government and private sector will help Sierra Leone eliminate rabies in the first half of the twenty-first century.

Insights into canine rabies vaccination Disparities in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional household study

“…We conducted a cross-sectional survey from July 2022 to December 2023 across Eastern, Southern, Northern-Western, and Western area provinces ( S1 Fig ). Rural and urban settlements were selected based on reports of dog bites and cat bites [ 13 ]. We used multi-stage sampling on each selected street, commencing at the initial residences on both sides.…”

“…In Sierra Leone, the first reported rabies case dates to 1949, marking the initiation of a persistent challenge that has grown in magnitude [ 13 ]. The first vaccination campaign took place in 1954 in the capital of Freetown, signifying the early acknowledgment of the issue [ 13 ].…”

“…In Sierra Leone, the first reported rabies case dates to 1949, marking the initiation of a persistent challenge that has grown in magnitude [ 13 ]. The first vaccination campaign took place in 1954 in the capital of Freetown, signifying the early acknowledgment of the issue [ 13 ]. However, subsequent efforts have been characterised by erratic reactive dog vaccination efforts, often triggered by sporadic outbreaks centred around World Rabies Day (WRD) [ 13 ].…”

“…The first vaccination campaign took place in 1954 in the capital of Freetown, signifying the early acknowledgment of the issue [ 13 ]. However, subsequent efforts have been characterised by erratic reactive dog vaccination efforts, often triggered by sporadic outbreaks centred around World Rabies Day (WRD) [ 13 ]. Over time, human and animal rabies cases have increased, particularly across major towns, attributed to the prevalence of free-roaming dogs, increased population density, low vaccination rates, and a less-than-ideal level of community knowledge [ 13 ].…”

A 30-year Retrospective Laboratory Surveillance of Wildlife Rabies in Nigeria

“…2021; Suluku et al, 2021). The wildlife cycle usually reverts to urban cycle due to frequent contact between rabid wildlife and stray domestic/pet animals (Ogunkoya et al, 2003).…”