Health authorities are reviewing dog vaccination coverage after gaps in dog registration made it difficult to establish how many dogs are vaccinated against rabies, as the country works towards eliminating the disease by 2030.
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Ladislas Nshimiyimana, Acting Director of the NTD and Other Parasitic Diseases Unit at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), said authorities need to establish the dog population to accurately calculate vaccination coverage.
"We need to revisit the coverage because many dogs were not registered. It was difficult to determine the coverage, so we decided to start by registering the dogs. We hope this will happen within this year because we have a rabies elimination target of 2030,” he said.
Dog vaccination is carried out annually under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, in collaboration with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
Nshimiyimana noted that Rwanda records about 3,000 dog bites a year, with Nyagatare, Musanze and Huye among the districts reporting higher numbers.
He added that the high number of bites in some districts does not necessarily mean those areas have more dogs. He said the reasons for the variation are not clear, but dogs roaming freely or spending time away from their owners’ homes could increase the risk of bites.
Rabies risk
"A dog bite does not necessarily mean that a person gets rabies. However, if the dog is infected, the virus can be transmitted through the bite,” Nshimiyimana said.
People bitten by a dog should seek medical attention promptly. Depending on the exposure, treatment may include an anti-rabies vaccine or rabies immunoglobulin, which provides immediate protection against rabies. Nshimiyimana advised people to seek care within 48 hours to prevent infection.
The anti-rabies vaccine given to people is made for human use and differs from the vaccine administered to dogs, he added.
Prevention, treatment
Nshimiyimana said children under 15 are among those most affected by dog bites, with some attacks occurring after children throw stones at dogs. He urged people to avoid provoking unfamiliar dogs and keep their distance when they encounter them.
He also called on dog owners to register and vaccinate their animals and ensure they do not roam freely.
He cautioned that an unvaccinated dog does not necessarily have rabies but faces a higher risk of contracting rabies if exposed to the virus.
"If someone is bitten by a dog that is not vaccinated, the risk is very high. They should seek treatment promptly and complete all the prescribed doses. If they are told to come for three doses, they should not skip any of them. Sometimes patients receive the first dose and fail to return for the remaining doses,” Nshimiyimana said.
He added that anti-rabies vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin are administered at hospital level.
When a health facility runs out of either medicine, Zipline can make emergency deliveries by use of drones to ensure patients do not miss treatment. The service is used for urgent supplies rather than as part of the routine distribution system.