[Epidemiological aspects of human and animal rabies in the urban area of Bamako, Mali].

This research was a retrospective study conducted in the district of Bamako, Mali, evaluating the prevalence and types of animal bites and human and animal cases of rabies over a four-year period from January 2000 to December 2003.

Objective and Methodology

• The study aimed to establish the rate of animal bites, instances of human and animal rabies, and to identify the types of animals most frequently involved.
• Researchers analysed records from the department of prevention and fight against diseases and the central veterinary laboratory, as well as the Lazaret clinic, which deals with human rabies cases.
• Human rabies was diagnosed based on specific clinical symptoms, such as agitation and hydrophobia (fear of water) following animal bites. Animal rabies was identified when an animal displayed aggressiveness and died within a 15-day observation period.

Findings

• On average, 1470 individuals were bitten by animals each year in Bamako during the study period. Of all human bites by animals, 97.1% were from dogs.
• Other animals involved in bites included cats (1.6%), donkeys, horses, cattle, and rats (1.4%).
• There were 10 recorded cases of human rabies. In 6 of these cases, the biting animal was a dog. In the remaining 4 cases, the biting animal could not be identified.
• Among 3924 animals observed for possible rabies at the veterinary clinic, 187 (about 4.8%) were clinically mad.
• Out of 121 brain samples from dead suspected mad animals examined for the rabies virus via direct immunofluorescence, the virus was detected in 119 cases; the vast majority (116) were dogs, followed by sheep (2) and a cow (1).

Recommendations

• The vaccination status of people bitten by suspected rabid animals was not clearly established, representing a potential gap in public health management.
• Based on the high prevalence of rabies found in local animals, particularly dogs, and its consequent impact on human health, the study recommends the development of a specific program to eradicate rabies in Bamako.