Where and when to vaccinate? Interdisciplinary design and evaluation of the 2018 Tanzanian anti-rabies campaign
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Objectives: Hoping to improve health-related effectiveness, a two-phase vaccination against rabies was
designed and executed in northern Tanzania in 2018, which included geo-epidemiological and economic
perspectives.
Methods: Considering the local bio-geography and attempting to rapidly establish a protective ring
around a city at risk, the first phase intervened on sites surrounding that city, where the population
density was lower than in the city at risk. The second phase vaccinated a rural area.
Results: No rabies-related case has been reported in the vaccinated areas for over a year post-
immunisation; hence, the campaign is viewed as highly cost-effective. Other metrics included: rapid
implementation (concluded in half the time spent on other campaigns) and the estimated cost per
protected life, which was 3.28 times lower than in similar vaccinations.
Conclusions: The adopted design emphasised local bio-geographical dynamics: it prevented the
occurrence of an epidemic in a city with a higher demographic density than its surrounding area and it
also achieved greater effectiveness than average interventions. These interdisciplinary, policy-oriented
experiences have broad and immediate applications in settings of limited and/or time-sensitive
(expertise, personnel, and time available to intervene) resources and conditions.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Rabies, Vaccination, One health, Geo-epidemiology, Dog, Human health, Health economics
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.03.037