A scoping review of Rabies research in Uganda

Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease causing an estimated 60'000 human deaths per year, occurring mostly in Africa and Asia. Rabies is a disease that needs a transdisciplinary One Health approach for its control and prevention. The quadripartite which consists of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) have set the goal “Zero-by-30” for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. Uganda, a country in East Africa is endemic to rabies, and nearly 90% of the population resides in a community at risk for canine rabies transmission. Although there has been some research conducted on rabies in Uganda, there is a need for more comprehensive information on various aspects of the disease. This scoping review aligns with pathway 3 of the Theory of Change framework of One Health Joint plan of Action for strengthening the scientific evidence base, translating knowledge into data, and improving technical tools, protocols and guidelines. Thus, this scoping review aims to describe the research done on rabies in Uganda by identifying, categorizing, summarising, and mapping existing research as well as identifying existing gaps to direct future research.