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H2020Individual fellowship2018–2021

SAREE · The Social Anthropology of Rabies Epidemiology and Elimination

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2018-09-15 → 2021-11-29
EU contribution
€269,858
Participants
2
Scheme
MSCA-IF-GF

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Results in brief

The Social Anthropology of Rabies Epidemiology and Elimination

Rabies is a devastating, lethal zoonotic disease transmitted from bites from infected animals, mostly dogs. In Asia and Africa, rabies is estimated to kill more than 59,000 people each year, with the highest number of deaths, 20,000, occurring in India. In India, human rabies was made notifiable only in September 2021, so the on-the-ground reality of this disease, including the disproportionate burden of social inequality it inflicts on disadvantaged populations, is still poorly known. The current global plan to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies grounds on the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health. With rabies, this strategy involves mass dog vaccination, the vaccination of bitten people, and close community engagement. While these measures are highly effective, rabies continues to kill thousands of people for reasons that are also cultural and religious. They determine how people take care of their health and that of their dogs, and influence local perspectives about One Health. In two selected rural areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra, in Western India, this study used contact tracing and ethnography to investigate the impact of the cultural and religious background of individuals and communities on the prevention and management of dog and human rabies. In Gujarat, where the Hindu local goddess Hadkai Mata is venerated in case of dog bites, this project investigated the impact this may have on people’s health-seeking behaviours and dog keeping practices. The ultimate aim was to provide policymakers with the evidence they can use to inform the design of appropriate One Health interventions. Results indicate that strong and specific understandings of rabies exist at the local level, and they deeply influence rabies management, mainly by delaying (and, occasionally, even excluding) life-saving human vaccination, and by rejecting dog vaccination. This project highlights the importance of understanding and addressing, together with local communities, different culturally- and religiously- mediated ways in which humans relate to animals, and of looking for points of convergence and mutual understanding, upon which context-tailored, linguistically accurate, locally acceptable, feasible and effective strategies can be designed.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of rabid animals, predominantly domestic dogs. It is ranked among the highest priority zoonotic neglected diseases by major international human and animal health organizations (the World Health Organization and World Organisation for Animal Health) and its control is considered a global public good. Although rabies is preventable through administration of post-exposure prohylaxis to individuals exposed to suspect rabid bites and mass vaccination of dogs, the disease still kills thousands globally. India has the highest number of rabies deaths in the world for reasons that are likely to be as much socio-cultural as they are biological, although these factors have neither been investigated nor integrated with epidemiological data. In India, I will focus on two contrasting (based on linguistic,cultural and religious background) rural areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra, where rabies is very prevalent. I will first investigate cultural and religious aspects shaping attitudes towards dogs and local-level acceptance of rabies control and prevention measures, including dog vaccination and human rabies prevention. I will subsequently explore the feasibility andacceptability of in-depth epidemiological data collection tools, contact tracing, to understand cultural and religious influences on people’s health seeking behaviour, practices that may lead to increased rabies risks, and management of these risks within this particular socio-cultural context. Data gathered in this preparatory phase will ultimately inform the design ofculturally acceptable and integrated One Health interventions that will to contribute to reduced rabies exposures and mortality. Together with these expected health benefits, my project will demonstrate the added value of One Health, interdisciplinary, approaches to the study and management of zoonoses, and will therefore address an evidence gap of global health relevance.

Original text from CORDIS.

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Data: CORDIS, © European Union