Canine rabies in Brazil: an epidemiological study of recent cases

Abstract

Introduction:
Rabies is an anthropozoonosis transmitted to humans through the inoculation of rabies virus present in the saliva and secretions of infected animals. Objectives: To describe the recent cases of canine rabies in Brazil (2014-2016), the antigenic variants and vaccine coverages, and the human development, poverty and inequality, indicators by region of the country, in order to evaluate the characteristics of the variables and the relation between them. Methods: A descriptive study of recent cases of canine rabies in Brazil, obtained from Epidemiological Bulletins, Information Systems and publicly available collection on the Ministry of Health platform. The Municipal Human Development Indexes (IDHM), poverty indicators and Theil - L and Gini Indices were calculated for each region of the country. Results: The Northeast Region had the highest number of municipalities affected (18), despite the high vaccination coverage in dogs (90.61%). The Southeast region had lower vaccine coverage (71.01%) and evidence of bats contribution in the disease transmission cycle. The low IDHM values and higher indices of poverty and inequality in the Northeast region suggest that lower human development leads to the existence of environmental health risk conditions. Conclusion: Bats have a greater contribution in the cycle of transmission of the disease in the more developed regions of the country and with low vaccination coverage. The prevalence of infected dogs in the Northeast Region may occur due to the high dog population turnover rate, and complementary studies on canine demography are necessary.