Epidemiological profile of dog bite cases and rabies in Guinea, 2018-2019

Introduction: In Guinea, between 2011 and 2017, there were 95 clinical canine rabies cases, 10,153 cases of bites recorded in the health facilities, and 50 clinical human rabies cases recorded in the veterinary post. The profile of the disease is not well known. This study describes the epidemiological profile of rabies to guide the decision-making of the Ministries of Health and Livestock. Methods: A descriptive incidence study was carried out using January 2018–August 2019 bite and rabies databases of the Ministries of Health and Livestock. We calculated median age, frequency, and district bite incidence per 100,000 population. Results: Overall, 1,953 bite cases were recorded, with an incidence of 10 per 100,000 population and a median age of 14 years. Of those bitten, 75% (1458/1953) benefited from post-exposure vaccination (PEV); none of the 10 rabid humans sought vaccination, and all died. Of the 1,662 biting dogs followed up, 937 (56%) were observed, of which 159 (17%) developed rabies symptoms and were euthanised, and 27 (17%) were sampled, 20 (74%) of which were confirmed for rabies by PCR test. N’Zérékoré and Fria had an incidence of >50 bites per 100,000 inhabitants; 40% of canine rabies cases were from Faranah. Fifteen thousand dogs were vaccinated in districts with high incidence and percentage of confirmed rabies cases. Conclusion: People under 15 years old were most affected. We suggest improving dog bite and rabies surveillance in the district with low incidence, building laboratory sampling capacity, testing suspected canine cases, and conducting an exhaustive census among the dog population.