Author(s)

Nathalie Nseya¹, André Ngombe Kaseba², Charles Muhadila³, Jean Claude Mbang³, Claude Yav³, Ghislain Kikunda⁴, Augustin Mutombo Mulangu⁴, Philippe Mulenga Cilundika⁴, Oscar Luboya Numbi^2,4, Eric Mukomena Sompwe^2,4

¹Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Vaccinogenic Office of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
²School of Public Health, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
³Higher Institute of Agronomic and Veterinary Studies of Sandoa, Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
⁴Faculty of Medicine, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Introduction: Rabies, a neglected disease, could be grossly underreported in the DRC; in the absence of post-exposure prophylaxis, the WHO estimates that this disease would cause 327,000 deaths per year in Africa and Asia. The objective of this study is to determine the epidemiological profile of this zoonosis in order to encourage decision-makers to develop national strategies for its elimination. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data collection was done retrospectively and in total6 420 victims of bites received during the period between January 2005 and December 2015 at the anti-rabies center in Lubumbashi were included in this work. Excel 13 software and Epi info 3.3.4 were used for data analysis and interpretation. Results: People over the age of 15 are the main victims of canine bites (62.1%), more than half of the victims are male (55.9%); dogs represent the majority of biting animals (96.4%) of which around 3/4 are unvaccinated (71.37%). Two municipalities are more affected: Lubumbashi (prevalence 83.35/100,000 and Kampemba (Prevalence 51.74/100,000). LBite peaks were observed from July to October (p = 0.01). For the 34 people seen with clinical signs of rabies encephalitis (confirmed case of rabies), the case fatality rate was 100%. Conclusion: Rabies is a major problem in Lubumbashi but its extent is different depending on the municipality. The dog is the main biting animal and the vaccination coverage of dogs remains very low. Access to rabies vaccine for bite victims is difficult. Its elimination remains possible through the implementation of an extensive canine vaccination program, the awareness of owners and the large-scale provision of post-exposure prophylaxis.

Epidemiology, Bites, Rabies, Lubumbashi

Nseya, N. , Kaseba, A. , Muhadila, C. , Mbang, J. , Yav, C. , Kikunda, G. , Mulangu, A. , Cilundika, P. , Numbi, O. and Sompwe, E. (2022) Epidemiological Profile of Pet Bites and Rabies Cases from 2005-2015: Case of the City of Lubumbashi in the DRC. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 12, 19-26. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2022.123003.