We will collect data on the cost of mass dog vaccination
programme alongside dog population estimates to determine
vaccination coverage. Dog bites cost and human rabies will be
determined and quantified in terms of the number of disability-
adjusted life years (DALYs). Subsequently, the cost
effectiveness of dog vaccination will be determined.
Building a business case for rabies control in Kenya
Rabies is endemic in Kenya and is among the priority diseases for control. Most human rabies cases are transmitted by domestic
dogs’ bites. Control efforts have been geared towards dog vaccination programmes, provision of post-exposure prophylaxis and
awareness programs. However, the disease has not been effectively controlled due to a lack of multisectoral management
approaches. One Health approach has been proposed as the most effective way to control rabies. This approach is economical,
especially in resource-scarce settings. Provision of economic data would aid budgeting and resource mobilization efforts.
• Rabies is a zoonotic disease that exerts huge economic
burden and causes mortalities
• Domestic dogs are disease reservoirs and is spread through
bites
• The disease is 100% vaccine preventable in both dogs and
humans
• Mass dog vaccination campaigns is cheaper as compared to
human post-exposure vaccination and is effective to break
the chain of transmission in dogs
• Despite the effective control method of the disease, the
disease remains endemic and neglected in Kenya
Introduction
Budgetary allocation to animal disease control continues to
diminish despite being a signatory to a global goal to attain
zero deaths by 2030. With nine years remaining, this seems
a long shot – but it is still doable. To accelerate the goal
towards the elimination of human death there is a need to
change tact, this will involve developing a business case for
control and elimination of this disease and communicating
this to policymakers
Problem statement
Economic analyses will show explicit monetary benefits
and has the potential of changing attitudes to decision-
makers. Working with the Machakos county government
and other partners, we are starting a five-year programme
that aims to undertake effective mass dog vaccination,
understand disease burden, calculate the cost-effectiveness
of the campaign and explore innovative financing options
for sustainable rabies control methods.
Proposed methodology
Expected outcome
Zero human rabies deaths by 2030 are achievable if only we allocate
the necessary resources, but how much? for what?
Maurice K. Murungi, Dishon Muloi, Lian Thomas, Eric M Fèvre
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool
International Livestock Research Institute
This work is under a PhD programme domiciled
at One Health Research, Education and
Outreach Centre in Africa (OHRECA) at
International Livestock Research Institute
Methodology development
2021
Data collection
2022
Data analysis
2023
One Health relevance