Establishing the Basis for Rabies Control in Liberia

Abstract In 2017, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute established a partnership with the Liberian Ministry of Agriculture on a rabies project entitled “Multicentre and multinational assessment of the burden of rabies and vaccination impact in West and Central Africa.” In Liberia, the project aimed to establish animal rabies diagnostics and foster collaboration between all stakeholders involved in rabies control. This case study highlights the opportunities and challenges of collaborating with sectors to control dog rabies. Before our intervention, sharing of information between sectors was difficult, and rabies was not confirmed in the animal population. For instance, data on animal bite cases were well-documented in the public health sector, but the numbers did not align with the data in the animal health sector. Through the project, we implemented the first animal rabies diagnostics in post-war Liberia at the Central Veterinary Laboratory. Subsequently, we utilized the One Health Platform of Liberia to improve direct communication between the public health and veterinary authorities, healthcare providers, and other rabies stakeholders. Despite numerous challenges, such as limited research and government investment in controlling the disease, this approach improved cross-information sharing and led to diagnosing the first rabies strain in post-war Liberia, thereby identifying the country as rabies-endemic. From 2019 to 2021, only 11,820 domestic animals were vaccinated, compared to an estimated nationwide population of approximately 600,000 dogs. Additionally, we strengthened the animal surveillance system at the Ministry of Agriculture, and conducted a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices study (subnational dog census in two highly affected counties) and a nationwide collection of suspected rabies samples for genome-based phylogenetic analysis of the rabies virus (Africa 2 lineage subgroup H) circulating in domestic dogs in Liberia. Our findings were summarized in a policy brief for governmental authorities aimed at eradicating dog rabies in Liberia. Information © The Authors 2024