The government’s plan to eliminate rabies by 2030 is facing a major setback due to the lack of accurate data on the country’s dog population, according to the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).
Health officials say the data gap is making it difficult to plan vaccination campaigns and meet the World Health Organisation’s threshold needed to stop the transmission of the deadly disease.
Rabies, a fatal viral infection transmitted primarily through the bites of infected animals especially dogs continues to pose a public health threat.
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More than 2,000 people are treated for animal bites each year across the country, and at least one person dies annually, according to RBC.
With 99 percent of human rabies cases linked to dog bites, health experts say dog vaccination is the most effective strategy to cut transmission.
Bosco Mbonigaba, Director of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Prevention Programme at RBC, said the absence of reliable data on the number of dogs in the country remains a key obstacle.
Without knowing how many dogs exist and where they are located, it becomes difficult to estimate vaccine needs or achieve the recommended 70 percent vaccination coverage required to interrupt transmission.
"We need accurate data on the dog population in Rwanda so we can estimate the number of vaccines required,” Mbonigaba said during the Vaccine Symposium held from November 17 to 19 in Kigali. "Without precise figures, planning and implementing vaccination campaigns becomes a challenge, and elimination is not possible.”
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Rwanda initially aimed to eliminate all deaths caused by rabies by 2024, but the target has now been pushed to 2030. Officials say delays in achieving dog vaccination coverage and limited funding have contributed to the setback.
Rabies is one of 21 Neglected Tropical Diseases, a group of infections that disproportionately affect people in low-income communities. Despite its high fatality rate, rabies remains one of the least-funded NTDs.
Mbonigaba noted that while other NTDs benefit from partner support, rabies receives none at programme level. This has forced the health sector to integrate rabies-related activities into existing programmes and rely on multisectoral collaboration.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources is responsible for dog vaccination, but Mbonigaba said stronger coordination with health authorities is needed.
Meanwhile, health facilities continue to administer post-exposure vaccination to everyone bitten by a dog, a measure that prevents deaths even before full elimination is achieved.
Over the past decade, Rwanda has taken steps to strengthen surveillance and access to rabies treatment. Rabies reporting has been integrated into the Health Management Information System (HMIS) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) platform.
Since 2018, vaccines have been delivered to remote health facilities by drones operated by Zipline, improving availability in hard-to-reach areas. The country has also set up a dedicated budget line for rabies elimination and established a multisectoral committee to coordinate efforts.
According to the Fifth Population and Housing Census, private households own an estimated 66,000 dogs nationwide. To improve tracking, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) has instructed dog owners to register their pets and present proof of annual vaccination.
Dogs taken outside homes must also be supervised, leashed, and muzzled under new regulations.
"Even a single case is considered an outbreak,” said Dr Richard Nduwayezu of the Welfare for Animals Guild. "Once a person is infected with rabies, it almost always leads to death.”