Rabies mortality and morbidity associated with animal bites in Africa: A case for Integrated Rabies Diseases Surveillance, Prevention and Control - A Scoping review

Abstract

Background: Rabies a neglected tropical disease, mostly affecting poor and vulnerable populations living in remote rural areas in developing countries. The disease continues to pose a significant public health a threat with an estimated 59,000 dog-transmitted human deaths, of which an estimated 21,476 human deaths occur in Africa each year. The global strategy has been set by the quartite World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), aiming for "zero human deaths associated with dog transmitted rabies by 2030". African countries, however, face several challenges and there are still gaps in controlling rabies. The aim of this study review is to determine rabies prevalence, mortality and associated risk factors in both human population and animal population and to evaluate the presence or absence of integrated one health surveillance response in African nations. Methods and analysis: We will conduct an electronic literature searches on PubMed, CINAHL, (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Scopus, and Web of Science and other relevant databases. Reference lists from identified published articles or reviews and conference abstracts will also be searched for relevant articles. Published and unpublished literatures (grey) will be included in the search. The findings will be presented graphically in terms of mortality, morbidity, interventions for rabies control in Africa, research gaps identified, available research evidence, rabies surveillance, prevention and control and adverse events. Conclusion: This review will contribute to the coordination of interventions for surveillance, prevention, and control with African countries as country-based gaps and challenges and opportunities will be highlighted. In addition, the scaling up of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP rabies will be evaluated in African countries and the projection to achieve the target of "zero deaths of human rabies by 2030" in Africa