One health for dog-mediated rabies elimination in Asia: a collection of local experiences.

Chapter 9 (Page no: 99)

Rabies in the greater Manila area and region IV-B of the Philippines and the potential impact of age-targeted dog vaccination.

Rabies is endemic to the Philippines, causing more than 300 human deaths nationwide/year. Locally, its mode of transmission is through the bites of dogs, which commonly roam provincial and city streets. Using rabies surveillance data from animal samples submitted between 2011 and 2020 to laboratories in the Greater Manila Area and Region IV-B, this study modelled the impact of age-targeted vaccination on dogs. A rabies transmission model was developed, with an emphasis on separate puppy and adult age classes. Puppies less than 3 months of age are normally exempt from rabies vaccination, but the model showed that mass vaccinations with a vaccine coverage of 50%, that included puppies, led to eventual elimination of the disease. This study emphasizes the importance of immunizing not just adult dogs but puppies as well, while suggesting the need for stricter population control methods to reduce the incidence of rabies in the Philippines.

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