Abstract
Dogs (Canis familiaris) are often free-roaming in sub-Saharan African countries. Rabies virus circulates in many of these populations and presents a public health issue. Mass vaccination of dog populations is the recommended method to decrease the number of dog and human rabies cases. We describe and compare four populations of dogs and their vaccination coverage in four different villages (Hluvukani, Athol, Utah and Dixie) in Bushbuckridge Municipality, Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in the villages of Athol, Utah and Dixie, while data from a Health and Demographic Surveillance System were used to describe the dog population in Hluvukani village. All households of the villages were visited to obtain information on the number, sex, age and rabies vaccination status of dogs. From May to October 2013, 2969 households were visited in the four villages and 942 owned dogs were reported. The populations were all young and skewed towards males. No differences were observed in the sex and age distributions (puppies 0–3 months excluded) among the villages. Athol had a higher proportion of dog-owning households than Hluvukani and Utah. Vaccination coverages were all above the 20% – 40% threshold required for herd immunity to rabies (38% in Hluvukani, 51% in Athol, 65% in Dixie and 74% in Utah). For the preparation of vaccination campaigns, we recommend the use of the relatively stable dog:human ratio (between 1:12 and 1:16) to estimate the number of dogs per village in Bushbuckridge Municipality.
Highlights
Dogs (Canis familiaris) are raised and kept as domestic animals all over the world
Dog populations are often described by their level of dependency on people and their level of movement restriction
In South Africa, two biotypes circulate in animal populations: the mongoose biotype occurs in yellow mongooses (Cynictis penicillata), while the canid biotype is highly adapted to canine species and can circulate independently in dog populations (Gummow, Roefs & De Klerk 2012; Ngoepe, Sabeta & Nel 2009)
Summary
Dogs (Canis familiaris) are raised and kept as domestic animals all over the world. Types of dog management vary and depend on human factors such as cultural or social drivers (Bogel & Hoyte 1990; Knobel et al 2008). Dog populations are often described by their level of dependency on people and their level of movement restriction (confinement) Based on these criteria, the World Health Organization (WHO) distinguishes four population classes: restricted dogs (these are fully dependent and fully restricted and supervised), family dogs (these are fully dependent and semi-restricted), neighbourhood dogs (these are semi-dependent and semi-restricted) and feral dogs (these are independent and unrestricted) (Bogel & Hoyte 1990). In South Africa, two biotypes circulate in animal populations: the mongoose biotype occurs in yellow mongooses (Cynictis penicillata), while the canid biotype is highly adapted to canine species and can circulate independently in dog populations (Gummow, Roefs & De Klerk 2012; Ngoepe, Sabeta & Nel 2009). In resource-limited communities, where the cycle is maintained by dogs, the main sources of human rabies are dog bites or other contact with saliva of infectious dogs (Cleaveland et al 2006; Jemberu et al 2013)
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