Eco-Epidemiological Characteristics of Human Rabies in Côte d’Ivoire, 2012-2017

Introduction: Human rabies is a major public health problem in many African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire. The present work aims at describing the eco-epidemiological characteristics of human rabies cases recorded in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: This was a retrospective and prospective cross-sectional descriptive study based on epidemiological surveillance data that ran from september 2014 to december 2017. The clinical data were extracted from the database of the human rabies epidemiological surveillance management service of the National Institute of Public Hygiene’s rabies centre. These data cover the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2017. Results: Human rabies is endemic in Côte d’Ivoire, with most people exposed in the south and especially in the west of the country. There was no association between any of the climatological parameters (temperature, humidity, rainfall) and the occurrence of human rabies during the months of exposure to rabies infection. Conclusion: Ultimately, effective prevention and control of human rabies requires a thorough understanding of the links between climatological parameters and rabies. Health authorities must take ownership of these results if we are to achieve our goal of eliminating rabies by 2030.