eRabies surveillance - a way forward to rabies elimination in Uganda

Rabies kills tens of thousands of people in Africa and Asia every year. It is usually transmitted there through bites from infected dogs. The number of infected people and dogs is recorded differently by different authorities. The lack of cooperation between human and veterinary medicine thus makes it difficult to eradicate rabies.

This is where our project comes in, which aims to introduce a web-based rabies monitoring system (eRabies) for humans and animals in Uganda. Effective rabies control is only possible if dogs are vaccinated and people contain post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after being bitten by a rabid animal. In Uganda, 90 % of the population lives in an area where there is a risk of rabies transmission from dogs. At the same time, laboratory capacity is limited. Dog vaccination coverage and PEP administration are low. To tackle this multi-faceted health problem, a holistic approach is needed that involves all relevant stakeholders and includes both quantitative and qualitative methods.

In addition to health professionals from human and veterinary medicine, animal owners and keepers, including children, as well as the village community and teachers play an important role. We propose here the improvement of local laboratory capacity, optimisation of dog vaccination and the introduction of a web-based, integrated rabies surveillance system including evidence-based administration of PEP (eRabies) for humans and animals, based on a One Health approach.