Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Building Momentum: Recap of the 2nd Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Network Meeting on Rabies Control
October 12, 2023
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Rabies remains an endemic zoonoses and a significant health threat at the animal-human interface across the Africa region. Rabies is listed as a priority zoonosis by majority of the Member Countries in Africa. Globally, the elimination of human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by the year 2030 is still targeted, and at present, only five years remain to the year 2030. There is therefore, urgent need to measure and demonstrate progress of national Rabies programs. This is even more critical in Africa, to ensure that all interventions are concerted to bring measurable outcomes, and to support evidence-driven investments in national action plans where gaps persist. Surveillance and vaccination data therefore critical to measure progress towards elimination and/or demonstrate freedom from rabies by Member countries.
In Eastern Africa, majority of the countries have developed national strategic plans (NSPs) for rabies control and are at various levels of implementation. Many global partners are investing in different aspects of implementation of these NSPs. Specifically, WOAH has supported development of NSPs in various countries in the SRR-Eastern Africa, and continues to support the provision of quality and affordable rabies vaccines (through the WOAH vaccine bank), as well as estimation of dog population amongst other interventions. WOAH has also been facilitating Sub-Regional network comprising of WOAH Delegates and the National rabies contact persons to maintain contextual discussions and momentum on rabies elimination in Eastern Africa.
In a previous regional meeting i.e. The Second meeting of the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Network for Rabies control held in Addis Ababa, WOAH Delegates and National rabies contact persons discussed the persistent issues with data quality, collection of minimum data elements and reporting.
The aim of this training workshop is to capacitate National rabies contact persons in the Eastern Africa Sub-Region, with recommended approaches for rabies surveillance as per WOAH standards and UAR recommendations (Minimum data elements and UAR Monitoring and Evaluation indicators), in order to support surveillance and reporting of critical parameters relating to mass dog vaccination, dog bites, and dog population management.
This workshop is aligned to all the three objectives of the Zero by 30 global strategic plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 which include: effective use of vaccines, medicines, tools and technologies; generate, innovate and measure impact of interventions; and sustaining commitment and resources for rabies elimination.
The workshop is further aligned to implementation of the Quadripartite’s One Health Joint Plan of Action (JPA) by contributing to all three pathways of the Theory of Change including generation of data evidence and knowledge, as well as the Action track 3 of the JPA which relates to controlling and eliminating endemic zoonotic, neglected tropical diseases.
Further, this workshop builds upon the recommendations of the Second meeting of the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Network for Rabies control held in Addis Ababa (held in October 2023), in which WOAH Delegates and National rabies contact persons underscored the need for capacity building to support collection, management and reporting of accurate and comprehensive national rabies data.
