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Abstract Objective This study determines the seroprevalence and associated factors of rabies in unvaccinated dogs in Sierra Leone. Background Rabies control is poorly coordinated in Sierra Leone which was ranked as the third hungriest country in the world. Due to limited access to rabies vaccines, the need for comprehensive serological data on dogs for control of the disease is expedient. Methods A random multistage technique considering high, medium and low incident areas of rabies cases in dog‐populated communities was adopted. Samples were collected from dogs with owners which were at least 1‐year old. Samples were analysed using a commercial ELISA in accordance to manufacturer's instructions. Results 25.2% of the total 270 samples tested positive for the presence of rabies antibodies. Kenema district had the highest number of positive samples, followed by the Bombali district and Moyamba district the least. Predisposing factors, including sex, the status of castration, the type of settlement, district and the availability of fences at locations where dogs are kept, had significant effects (p

Ebolaviruses (family Filoviridae) comprise highly pathogenic RNA viruses with zoonotic potential. After sporadic introduction from an animal reservoir into the human population, the main route of transmission has been from [...]

The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever recorded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact. Social factors are thus clearly important to understand the epidemic and ways in which it might be stopped, but these factors have so far been little analyzed. The present paper focuses on Sierra Leone, and provides cross sectional data on the least understood part of the epidemic-the largely undocumented spread of Ebola in rural areas. Various forms of social networking in rural communities and their relevance for understanding pathways of transmission are described. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between marriage, funerals and land tenure. Funerals are known to be a high-risk factor for infection. It is suggested that more than a shift in awareness of risks will be needed to change local patterns of behavior, especially in regard to funerals, since these are central to the consolidation of community ties. A concluding discussion relates the information presented to plans for halting the disease. Local consultation and access are seen as major challenges to be addressed.

To the Editor: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly infectious disease of small ruminants, characterized by high rates of illness and death and caused by a single-stranded RNA [...]

Annually, Sierra Leone records an estimated 301 human fatalities due to rabies. Canine vaccination is crucial for rabies prevention and control efforts. However, considerable variability exists in vaccination rates. Reasons for this variation remain unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study across 2,558 dog-owning households (HHs) to provide insights into factors influencing canine vaccination for targeted prevention and control towards elimination by 2030. First, we described dog ownership practices, then built a probabilistic model to understand factors associated with dog vaccination, and finally used a spatial scan statistic to identify spatial clusters where vaccination rates were low. Our results indicated that only 14% (358/2,558) of participating HHs had fully vaccinated their dogs against rabies. The probability of dog vaccination increased when comparing civil servants to private workers/artisans, with an Odds Ratio(OR) of 1.14 (95% credible interval (Crl) of 0.82-1.56), residing in locations with a veterinary establishment vs. none (OR = 6.43, 95% Crl (4.97-8.35), providing care to dogs vs. allowing dogs to roam freely (OR = 2.38, 95% Crl(1.80-3.17) and owning a single dog vs multiple dogs (OR = 1.20, 95 Crl (0.92-1.56). Conversely, there was a decrease in the estimated probability of vaccination when comparing dog owners located in rural vs. urban areas (OR = 0.58, CrI 95% (0.43-0.78). Latent understanding, a measure of overall understanding of rabies virus, which we estimated using participant education levels and responses to questions about rabies epidemiology, was also an important predictor of vaccination probability (OR = 1.44, 95% Crl (1.04-2.07). The spatial analysis identified high-risk clusters for low vaccination in the cities of Moyamba, with a radius of 40 km, a relative risk (RR) of 1.10, and Bo, with a radius of 19.9 km with RR of 1.11. These data do not support Sierra Leone reaching the 2030 goal of human rabies elimination caused by dogs. Our study highlights a critical need for public outreach and education, improved vaccination rates, increased accessibility to veterinary services, and targeted interventions in Bo and Moyamba to support rabies prevention and control efforts., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mshelbwala et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)