Increasing rabies vaccination coverage in urban dog populations of high human population density suburbs: a case study in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The incidence of rabies in dogs is increasing in many regions of Africa, despite the commercial availability of effective vaccines for dogs. The major constraints to effective dog vaccination programmes are poor accessibility of dogs for vaccination, inadequate availability of vaccines in some countries and the relative high cost of vaccines. A study was carried out in a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, with a high human population density, to evaluate levels of dog vaccination coverage that could be achieved through better vaccine delivery techniques. Using more vaccination teams, extended times and door-to-door vaccination, and timing vaccination to coincide with school holidays, an estimated vaccination coverage of 68–75% was achieved in the study area over a 5 day period. This compared very favourably with the low vaccination coverage levels, estimated to be less than 4%, achieved in the 2 years prior to the study in Nairobi as a whole. The need for a better understanding of dog ecology in such urban communities, as well as ways of improving vaccination delivery and sustainability coverage, are discussed.