TITLE:
Analysis of Epidemiological Investigations and Responses to Human Rabies Deaths in Côte d’Ivoire, 2021
AUTHORS:
Issaka Tiembre, Tetchi Sopi Malthide, Akani Bangama, Christiane Djoman, Joseph Benié Bi
KEYWORDS:
Epidemiological Investigations, Response, Human Rabies, Côte d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.13 No.3,
August
14,
2023
ABSTRACT: Rabies is an infectious disease that almost always leads to death as soon as the first signs appear, and is still endemic in several regions, including Côte d’Ivoire. Epidemiological investigations are carried out and response measures implemented in the event of any death from human rabies. However, the quality of these investigations does not always allow the adoption of response measures. The aim of this work was to evaluate the reports of epidemiological investigations and response actions carried out during the occurrence of human rabies deaths from 2016 to 2018. This was a cross-sectional study that took place from April to September 2021 at the National Institute of Public Hygiene and focused on human rabies deaths notified from 206 to 2018. Of sixty-one (61) human rabies deaths recorded, sixty (60) were investigated, among which fifty-nine (59) deaths had been subject to response. Most deaths occurred in rural areas (75%), and the main vector was the dog (98%). Several shortcomings were noted: response actions were not carried out promptly; joint interventions bringing together human and animal health professionals were rare, there was little communication about rabies to communities (36%), and very little vaccination of the vector, the source of the disease (12%); an almost total absence of capacity-building for local players (7%); the health districts of Abobo-Ouest, Bondoukou, Divo and Fresco, which had regularly recorded human rabies deaths, had not benefited from dog vaccination, which is supposed to break the circulation of the virus. The persistence of rabies deaths in the health districts could probably be linked to these shortcomings. Faced with these realities, it is essential to strengthen the epidemiological investigation capacities of the players involved, in order to improve the quality of investigations and ensure an effective response.