Rabies in animals, Burkina Faso, 2015–2024: Surveillance gaps and challenges to achieving “Zero Human Rabies by 2030”

Introduction: To strengthen rabies surveillance, it is essential to implement effective strategies for the control and elimination of this highly fatal zoonotic disease. This study described rabies surveillance data in animals in Burkina Faso from 2015 to 2024. Methods: An extraction sheet was created using samples from suspected rabies cases received by the National Livestock Laboratory of Burkina Faso between 2015 and 2024. A suspected rabies case was defined as any warm-blooded animal whose head was submitted to the laboratory for biological confirmation. The variables included laboratory result, age, sex, animal species, vaccination status, and location. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize confirmed rabies cases. Missing data were reported for each variable but were excluded from percentage calculations. The spatiotemporal distribution of confirmed rabies was presented using time series graphs and maps. Results: A total of 1,664 suspected rabies cases in animals were recorded in the database, including 1,302 confirmed cases, 161 negative cases, and 201 indeterminate cases. An increase in confirmed rabies cases was observed between 2015 and 2017, followed by a gradual decline until 2020, then a resurgence starting in 2022. Rabies in animals was endemic in the Kadiogo province, gradually spreading to the eastern regions of the country. Missing data were observed for the variables age (49.4%), sex (44.4%), and vaccination status (53.4%). Domestic carnivores, mainly dogs and cats, accounted for 98.6% of confirmed cases. Animals under one year of age (48.9%) and males (73.6%) were the most represented. Furthermore, 91.9% of confirmed cases involved unvaccinated animals. Conclusion: Surveillance data from the National Livestock Laboratory are incomplete and require improvement. Nevertheless, this study showed that rabies in animals remains endemic in Burkina Faso and mainly affects unvaccinated animals. Strengthening mass vaccination of domestic carnivores is essential to support the national strategy for eliminating human rabies by 2030.