Project Reference: TRG27-VET-OR1

Project title: Spatial epidemiology and control of dog rabies in rural Tanzania

Project outline

Rabies remains endemic across large parts of the world, killing thousands of people every year. Although wildlife reservoirs contribute to the persistence and spatial spread of the virus, most victims contract rabies from bites by infected dogs. Hence dog vaccination has been a cornerstone of rabies prevention and elimination campaigns for

decades. Thanks to the low reproductive number (R0) of dog rabies, it is theoretically sufficient to immunise 40% of dogs to prevent outbreaks. In Tanzania, despite repeated mass vaccination campaigns in dogs, sporadic rabies outbreaks continue to occur, spreading through rural communities where vaccine coverage is too low. Previous surveys have highlighted heterogeneity in coverage (proportion of dogs vaccinated), completeness (proportion of villages enrolled) and timeliness (frequency of campaigns) across the country as an ongoing concern. The aim of this PhD project is to assess the impact of these factors on rabies control in Tanzania. The first objective will be a detailed analysis of 20 years of data on vaccine campaigns and epidemiological reports of dog bites and rabies cases at a fine spatial scale. The second objective will be the development and validation of spatial dynamic models for the circulation of dog rabies in Southern Tanzania. The third objective will be to generate actionable guidelines for future vaccination campaigns towards the goal of rabies elimination using mathematical models and insight from field studies.

This work will involve collaboration with Dr Maganga Sambo in Tanzania, Prof Caroline Trotter in Cambridge, and Prof Katie Hampson in Glasgow. There will be opportunities for training in computational and statistical methods and research trips to Tanzania.

Principal Supervisor

Dr Olivier Restif

Email address: or226@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Veterinary Medicine

Website: https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/directory/or226%40cam.ac.uk

BBSRC strategic theme

Bioscience for an integrated understanding of health