Increasing rabies data availability: the example of a One Health research project in Chad, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali

Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease that remains notoriously underreported. Weak data availability hampers advocacy, constitutes a barrier to resource allocation and inhibits effective prevention and control. To gain better insight into the global rabies burden and human vaccine demand several studies were funded through the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) learning agenda. With the help of this funding, Swiss TPH and local in country partner organizations implemented a One Health research project in Chad, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali to collect data at household, public health facility and veterinary level. This paper describes the implementation of this research project and evaluates its success on amount of information gained, achieved capacity building, impact on knowledge creation and influence on national and international policies. The project was based on the One Health concept and guided by the principles of transboundary research partnerships formulated by the Swiss Academy of Sciences. Data was collected on bite incidents and health seeking from over 24'000 households, on access to treatment of over 8'800 bite cases registered in public health facilities and on the status of over 1'800 rabies suspect animals. Selected country specific datasets have contributed to more than 10 scientific articles so far. On the international level, the multi-level data collection provided a unique set of indicators to inform, along with results from other studies, new WHO rabies immunization recommendations and a vaccine investment case scenario to prevent human rabies. New rabies burden estimates based on the data gathered are published for Mali and will be modelled for the whole West and Central African region. On the national level, the project facilitated communication between animal health and human health workers catalyzing creation of local and national committees and formulation of national action plans for Mali and Cote D'Ivoire. Major challenges arose from lack of data collection and documentation experience of human health and veterinary workers and weak infrastructural capacities of the veterinary and human health systems of the project countries. Through adherence to the principles of transboundary research partnerships, project team members acquired valuable research and networking skills despite language barriers, enabling them to play key roles in the future agenda towards national, regional and global canine rabies elimination. Project external collaborations with local public institutions was facilitated through long-term local partnerships. Both factors enabled success in project implementation and outcomes by identifying and mitigating risks in advance, resolving challenges amiably and enabling mutual knowledge creation as a fructuous ground for sustained commitment. Lack of immediate follow-up funding did not allow to maintain activities beyond the project timeframe. However, the national and international policy changes triggered, as well as the strengthened local disease control and research capacities provides sustainable basis for the elimination of dog transmitted human rabies.