The History of Rabies in Trinidad: Epidemiology and Control Measures.

Janine Seetahal,Abiodun Adesiyun,Charles Rupprecht,Christine Carrington,Ron Mahabir,Avery Hinds,Alexandra Vokaty

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed2030027

Abstract

Vampire bat-transmitted rabies was first recognized in Trinidad during a major outbreak reported in 1925. Trinidad is the only Caribbean island with vampire bat-transmitted rabies. We conducted a literature review to describe the changing epidemiology of rabies in Trinidad and give a historical perspective to rabies prevention and control measures on the island. The last human case of rabies occurred in 1937 and although no case of canine-transmitted rabies was reported since 1914, sporadic outbreaks of bat-transmitted rabies still occur in livestock to date. Over the last century, seven notable epidemics were recorded in Trinidad with the loss of over 3000 animals. During the 1950s, several measures were effectively adopted for the prevention and control of the disease which led to a significant reduction in the number of cases. These measures include: vampire bat population control, livestock vaccination, and animal surveillance. However, due to lapses in these measures over the years (e.g., periods of limited vampire control and incomplete herd vaccination), epidemics have occurred. In light of the significant negative impact of rabies on animal production and human health, rabies surveillance in Trinidad should be enhanced and cases evaluated towards the design and implementation of more evidence-based prevention and control programs.

Highlights

Rabies is a neglected viral zoonosis of major public health and veterinary importance, present in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide [1,2,3,4]
In the Americas, bats are significant reservoirs of rabies viruses, and rabies virus can affect any species of bat, vampire bats are considered an especially effective vector due to their haematophagous nature [1,7,8]
Vampire bat-transmitted rabies is on the increase in the tropical Americas [9], where it is considered a limiting factor to livestock production [10,11], causing the death of more than 100,000 cattle annually at costs likely exceeding US $30 million dollars [5]

Summary

Introduction

Rabies is a neglected viral zoonosis of major public health and veterinary importance, present in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide [1,2,3,4]. Vaccine-preventable, this disease is estimated to cause in excess of 60,000 annual human deaths worldwide, with the vast majority in Africa and Asia [5]. In the Americas, bats are significant reservoirs of rabies viruses, and rabies virus can affect any species of bat, vampire bats are considered an especially effective vector due to their haematophagous nature [1,7,8]. Vampire bat-transmitted rabies is on the increase in the tropical Americas [9], where it is considered a limiting factor to livestock production [10,11], causing the death of more than 100,000 cattle annually at costs likely exceeding US $30 million dollars [5]. Subsequent to this, the disease was diagnosed on the South American mainland with increasing prevalence, and was noted to have affected at least 18 countries by 1968 [1,11,16,18,19,20,21]

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