Rabies record review in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Introduction: Rabies is a highly fatal viral disease of all warm blooded animals including human, globally. Around 59,000 people die due to rabies annually world-wide; In Ethiopia, there are an estimated 2700 deaths per year.

Objective: To describe the distribution and magnitude of rabies in Addis Ababa between the years 2012 – 2016.

Methods: Secondary data were reviewed from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute rabies case record book registered in the years 2012 to 2016. All humans and animals that came to the Institute of zoonoses research case team from each sub-cities of Addis Ababa with rabies exposures were considered for the cross-sectional study. Microsoft excel and SPSS version 20 were used for the data analysis.

Results: A total of 6927 human rabies exposures were reported at Ethiopian Public Health Institute during 2012-2016, giving a mean annual incidence of ~46 human rabies exposures per 100,000 (59% males, 41% females). Out of these, 6199 (89.5%) and 573 (8.27%) were exposed to suspected dogs and cats respectively. Out of 6392 dogs brought for clinical examination, 5162(80%) of the dogs were unvaccinated. Out of 1638 animal brains investigated in the laboratory with Fluorescent Antibody Technique, 1010 (61.7%) were confirmed rabies positive. Among the laboratory confirmed positive rabies cases; high percentage of the animals came from Yeka 210 (21%) and lower number from Kirkos subcity 35 (3.5%). There were 14 human deaths due to clinical rabies reported during the five years in the city.

Conclusion: There are high number of confirmed rabies cases in Addis Ababa. Effective rabies management and control based on confirmed cases, and mass-immunization and control of free roaming dog populations is recommended.