Rationale and prospects for rabies elimination in developing countries.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
F X Meslin
Publications and source records attributed to F X Meslin.
A dog ecology study in an urban and a semi-rural area of Zambia.
Characteristics of dog populations and their accessibility for rabies vaccination were compared in an urban and a semi-rural area in Zambia. A total of 1,190 households were interviewed. In the urban study area (Mutendere, a low income suburb of Lusaka) only 11% of the households kept dogs with a dog:human ratio of 1:45. In the semi-rural area (Palabana) dogs were kept by 42% of households with a dog:human ratio of 1:6,7. In conjuction with the study of the dog populations in these two areas, immunization of dogs against rabies was provided by door-to-door visits in both study areas and also through central point vaccination in the urban area. The attitude of the public towards free rabies vaccinations was positive, although some misconceptions regarding indications and modalities of treatment following exposure to suspect dogs were found. Approximately 50% of the dog removals were as a result of disease and the demand for dogs was higher than the supply. Although only information on the owned segment of the dog population was obtained during the study, the proportion of ownerless dogs appeared to be very low. Generally, there is a need for better co-ordination between the different services involved in rabies control in Zambia to enhance the sustainability of vaccination programmes and improve the treatment of persons bitten by dogs.
Animals↗
Surveillance and control of emerging zoonoses.
"Emerging zoonoses" are defined as zoonotic diseases caused either by apparently new agents, or by previously known microorganisms, appearing in places or in species in which the disease was previously unknown. New animal diseases with an unknown host spectrum are also included in this definition. Natural animal reservoirs represent a more frequent source of new agents of human disease than the sudden appearance of a completely new agent. Factors explaining the emergence of a zoonotic or potentially zoonotic disease are usually complex, involving mechanisms at the molecular level, such as genetic drift and shift, and modification of the immunological status of individuals and populations. Social and ecological conditions influencing population growth and movement, food habits, the environment and many other factors may play a more important role than changes at the molecular level. Diseases associated with changing farming practices, trade and consumer habits. Bacterial enteric diseases due to Salmonella enteritidis and Echerichia coli 0:157 are examples of diseases associated with changing farming practices and consumer habits. The increasing trade in live animals for animal production and research led to the introduction of the New World screwworm to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 1989 and an Ebola-like virus in monkeys in quarantine facilities in the United States of America. The development of the epidemics of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United Kingdom is due to multiple factors including the increasing use of ruminant proteins as feed for animals. Diseases associated with changing environmental conditions which influence reservoirs, vectors and/or victim species population parameters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adaptation, Biological↗
Economics of human and canine rabies elimination: guidelines for programme orientation.
Analysis of the present situation in canine-rabies-infected countries shows that in most cases the levels of activities for controlling the disease in man and in dogs are far too low to prevent human deaths due to rabies and to eliminate the disease in the dog population. This article compares the two major orientations of a rabies control programme, i.e., prevention of the disease in man by intensifying and modernizing post-exposure treatment (strategy A) and canine rabies elimination by controlling the disease in the animal reservoir (strategy B). The operation of both strategies (A + B) together is also analysed. Based on the available data and assumptions for calculations of the costs, the results show that when the strategies are applied independently of each other, the annual cost of strategy B amounts to 25-56% of that of strategy A. When the two strategies are applied together, the actual annual spending related to the implementation of A + B becomes less than that of strategy A alone as from the fifth year following programme initiation. The sensitivity of the results was tested against selected fluctuations in the assumptions. An estimation of the costs of control activities per avoided death, according to the strategy applied, is also given. In countries where resources allocated to rabies control are inadequate in both the health and veterinary sectors, the comparison in costs and effectiveness of the two programme strategies for rabies elimination strongly suggests that consideration should be given to a national programme of dog rabies elimination. On the other hand, for obvious ethical reasons, if attention is paid to improvement of post-exposure treatment, then the national authorities should consider a planning horizon close to 15 years.
Animals↗
Global aspects of emerging and potential zoonoses: a WHO perspective.
Many new human pathogens that have emerged or reemerged worldwide originated from animals or from products of animal origin. Many animal species as well as categories of agents have been involved in the emergence of diseases. Wild (e.g., bats, rodents) as well as draught animals (e.g., horses) and food animals (e.g., poultry, cattle) were implicated in the epidemiologic cycles of these diseases. Many of the agents responsible for new infections and diseases in humans were viruses (e.g., hantaviruses, lyssaviruses, and morbilliviruses), but bacteria, especially enteritic bacteria (e.g., Salmonellae and Escherichia coli) and parasites (e.g., Cryptosporidium) of animal origin, were also involved in major food and waterborne outbreaks. The public health relevance of some of these agents (e.g., new lyssaviruses and morbilliviruses) is not yet fully assessed. In addition the zoonotic nature of some other human diseases, such as Ebola and the new variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is suspected but not yet demonstrated. Finally, the possible future use of xenografts may lead, if precautions are not taken, to the emergence of new diseases called xenozoonoses.
Animals↗
Zoonotic tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in developing countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that human tuberculosis (TB) incidence and deaths for 1990 to 1999 will be 88 million and 30 million, respectively, with most cases in developing countries. Zoonotic TB (caused by Mycobacterium bovis) is present in animals in most developing countries where surveillance and control activities are often inadequate or unavailable; therefore, many epidemiologic and public health aspects of infection remain largely unknown. We review available information on zoonotic TB in developing countries, analyze risk factors that may play a role in the disease, review recent WHO activities, and recommend actions to assess the magnitude of the problem and control the disease in humans and animals.
Animals↗
[Current situation on human rabies control and anti-rabies vaccination].
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Humans↗