Africa-Press – Namibia. RABIES is endemic throughout Namibia and dog-mediated rabies poses a significant threat to public health in the Northern Communal Areas (NCA). The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform will soon introduce oral rabies vaccinations to achieve herd immunity of the dog populations in the NCA.
This comes after the ministry and its stakeholders conducted the pilot project in Omusati and Oshana last month. Since 2016, Namibia has been implementing a National Dog Rabies Control Programme including mass vaccination of dogs and cats administered through parenteral injections, or non-oral vaccinations.
Ministry spokesperson Jona Musheko said with non-oral vaccinations only about 76% of the total dog population in the NCA where the rabies control programme is implemented could be vaccinated.
“One among many other reasons why it has been challenging to achieve the target of 80% herd immunity is the inability to access stray dogs as well as some dog owners being unable to present them at the vaccination points or veterinary offices,” he said.
Musheko said the introduction of the Oral Rabies Vaccination method (ORV), which is administered through baits, will enable the ministry to reach the target percentage to increase herd immunity.
Preliminary results show a very high bait acceptance of more than 90% of the dogs. More than 1,000 baits were given and the area covered made this study unique across Africa. The studies on Namibian dog populations demonstrated they can be successfully immunised with single vaccine bait.
Musheko said the new methodology will not replace the National Dog Rabies Control Programme, but complement parenteral vaccination for a wider reach of dog populations.
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