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Mission Rabies Goa

Monthly Report – October 2018

By Julie Corfmat, Project Manager

Vaccination

Total number of dogs vaccinated in October 2018 = 12,238

October 2018 - what a tremendous month it has been! Over 12,000 dogs vaccinated and lots of special events including our annual mass vaccination campaign which was held in Bardez Taluka, North Goa from 1st October – 27th October 2018. The map in Figure 1 highlights the vaccination coverage achieved in Bardez during the mass campaign and Figure 2 shows some of the teams in action. For the mass campaign, six net catching teams and two hand catching teams were employed. In addition, 19 international volunteers travelled from across the globe to participate in the campaign (Figures 3 and 4).

Bardez Taluka Monthly Vaccination Coverage

Figure 1. Monthly vaccination coverage – Bardez October 2018

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Figure 2. Teams in action during the mass vaccination campaign

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Figure 3. Block 1 Volunteers, 1st October – 12th October 2018

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Figure 4. Block 2 Volunteers, 15th – 26th October 2018

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Special thanks…..

Mission Rabies Goa would like to say a huge thank you to Jordana Burdon Bailey – International Veterinary Projects Manager (Figure 5) and Amy Lewis – International Projects Officer (Figure 6) for travelling to Goa and assisting with the mass campaign. They took excellent care of all the international volunteers and were out in the field everyday with the teams. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Figure 5. Jordana Burdon Bailey Figure 6. Amy Lewis

Another special note of thanks goes to Andy Gibson – Director of Strategic Research (Figure 7). Andy managed the data analysis throughout the campaign and whilst in Goa he assisted with various aspects of team management. Andy is a huge support to the management staff in Goa and a true inspiration to the teams.

Finally, Mission Rabies Goa would like to express gratitude to Dr Gowri Yale and Praveen Ohal. Gowri stood in as a team leader on several occasions and Praveen took care of the daily food requirements for all the teams - which was certainly not an easy task!

Figure 7. Andy receiving a gift of thanks from Rajesh – Team Manager

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Winning team!

During each block (2 weeks) of the mass campaign Mission Rabies ran a competition to see which team could vaccinate the most dogs. Camels team – led by Anjani Sharma were the winning net-catching team on both occasions – vaccinating a total of 1,792 dogs! All members of the team were awarded with trophy plaques and specially designed Mission Rabies caps (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Winning Camels Team!

Celebration

The vaccination of 10,000 dogs was the target set for the mass campaign which the teams managed to exceed (11,070 total vaccinations). Once the target was reached a small celebration was held which also marked the end of the mass campaign (Figure 9). Teams are now continuing to work across Bardez to complete the taluka.

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Figure 9. Celebration cake to mark over 10,000 vaccinations!

Sterilisation

During the mass vaccination campaign, Mission Rabies worked alongside their partner organisation WVS and in just 4 weeks 541 dogs were caught and taken to WVS Hicks ITC for sterilisation (Figure 10). This was a fantastic effort on all fronts and showed great team work. Teams from WVS followed behind the vaccination teams and assisted with net catching. Any unsterilised dogs caught by the teams, were vaccinated, marked, ID tagged and transported to the centre in Assagao for surgery. They were then released by WVS back to their original locations once they had recovered from their operations.

Rescues

In addition to the sterilisation, WVS Hicks ITC assisted with all of Mission Rabies rescue cases during the campaign. A total of 34 dogs caught by the teams were in need of treatment. A few of the rescue cases are shown in Figure 11 including two dogs with their heads stuck in plastic containers. The containers were removed in the field and the dogs were released without the need for any further treatment.

Thank you WVS Hicks ITC for all your help and support during the campaign!

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Figure 10. 541 dogs caught and taken for sterilisation at WVS Hicks ITC

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Figure 11. Some of the animals rescued during the campaign

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Goa State Rabies Control Programme Stakeholder Meeting

As part of the mass vaccination campaign a number of special guests were invited to Goa to observe the work of Mission Rabies and to learn more about the various aspects of the project. An important stakeholder meeting was held on Monday 22nd October at the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services in Panjim (Figure 12). Attendees included Dr Santosh Desai, Director of AH & VS, Dr Vilas Naik, Assistant Director, Nodal officer – Mission Rabies, Dr Gustavo Pinto, Deputy Director, Dr Prabhu Goankar, Deputy Director, Dr Rajaram Naik, Deputy Director, Dr Agostinho A.R. Misquita, Deputy Director, Dr Marwin Lopes, Assistant Director, Dr Niceta Costa, Veterinary Officer, Dr Gyanendra Gongal – Technical Officer from the World Health Organisation, Dr Reeta Mani -Associate Professor of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Dr Chandrashekar Sahukar, Veterinary Consultant - National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and many other representatives from the Government of Goa. The meeting was also attended by Mr Adrian Burder, CEO Dogs Trust, Mr Phil White, Trustee Dogs Trust Worldwide, Mrs Clarissa Baldwin, Trustee and former CEO Dogs Trust, Mr Philip Daubeny, Trustee and Vice Chairman Dogs Trust, Dr Ian Battersby, Trustee Mission Rabies, Professor Richard Mellanby, University of Edinburgh, Trustee WVS, Dr Luke Gamble, CEO Mission Rabies and WVS, Mr Gareth Thomas, Director of Education Mission Rabies, Dr Frédéric Lohr, Global Operations Manager Mission Rabies, Dr Andy Gibson, Director of Research Mission Rabies and WVS, Ms Julie Corfmat, Project Manager Mission Rabies, Dr Gowri Yale, Technical and Scientific Manager, Mission Rabies Dr Karlette Fernandes, Director of Operations, WVS Goa, Dr Murugan Appupillai, Director of Education – India, Mission Rabies, Mr Praveen Ohal, Finance Manager, Mission Rabies and WVS and Ian and Guy from WVS Thailand. The meeting was a great success and everyone was extremely supportive of the work of Mission Rabies in Goa.

Figure 12. Goa State Rabies Control Programme Stakeholder Meeting

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Following the stakeholder meeting, our special guests spent an afternoon out in the field with the vaccination teams. They were able to observe both the net catching and hand catching methods (Figure 13 and 14).

The following day they visited the Government Veterinary Hospital in Panjim and the Diseases Investigation Unit where Mission Rabies has set up a laboratory for testing and diagnosing rabies cases.

Other activities included a special educational rally in Panjim, a school visit to observe a rabies educational session, a visit to the MR/WVS mobile surgical truck and a tour of WVS Hicks ITC.

We would like to thank everyone who visited Mission Rabies Goa – together we are saving

lives and without your continued support none of this would be possible!

Figure 13. Dr Luke Gamble CEO MR/WVS at the Government Veterinary Hospital

Figure 13. Clarissa and Philip (Dogs Trust) spent an afternoon with one of the hand catching teams

Figure 14. Luke with Rajesh – Team Manager and Rakesh – Animal Handler

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Team movement

Following the mass vaccination campaign, two teams moved back to Satari taluka in North Goa and three teams shifted to Mormugao taluka in South Goa. Two teams have also remained in Bardez. The teams are expected to complete all these areas before the end of the year and will commence vaccinations in Salcete in December 2018. The map in Figure 15 highlights the overall vaccination coverage achieved in Goa during 2018 (blue zones indicate October 2018 vaccinations).

Figure 15. Total vaccination coverage in Goa 1st January 2018 to date

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Rabies Surveillance, Testing and IBCM

Total number of positive rabies cases in October 2018 = 0

A total of 8 necropsies were performed during October 2018. All cases were confirmed negative for rabies.

The Mission Rabies Emergency Hotline received an even greater number of calls this month (Table 1). A total of 410 calls were received. Most calls (204) concerned a request for vaccination followed by treatment requests (155) for a sick or injured dog. Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) Officer – Omkar, has also had another busy month visiting hospitals and following up on bite cases. Table 2 summarises the IBCM cases during October 2018.

Table 1. Monthly Hotline Report (1st – 31st October 2018)

Nature of call

Total

1 Vaccination request 204 2 Treatment request for sick or injured dog 155 3 Suspected rabid dog 1 4 Dog Nuisance/Menace 14 5 Adoption request 7 6 Missing dog 6 7 Dog bitten by other dog 3 8 General dog related inquiry 14 9 Wrong number 5

10 Other 1 Total 410

Table 2. IBCM Monthly Report (1st – 31st October 2018)

Type of Case

Mapusa District

Hospital

Aldona Hospital

Siolim Primary Health Centre

Valpoi Government

Hospital

Total

Total cases followed up 170 45 99 29 343 People contacted 67 22 42 7 138

Stray dog bite 34 4 20 2 60 Owned dog bite 33 18 22 5 78

Phone investigation 67 22 42 7 138 In-person investigation 2 0 3 0 5

Full PEP advised 22 1 13 0 36 Could have stopped PEP 27 13 18 3 61

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Other News

The Fifth District Level Committee meetings for Mission Rabies took place in North and South Goa on 30th and 31st October 2018 (Figure 16). The meetings were attended by Dr Murugan and Dr Gowri who presented on the work of Mission Rabies over the past six months. All attendees praised the work being conducted across the state and expressed their continued support.

Figure 16. South Goa District Level Meeting on Mission Rabies

Another two batches of WVS participants accompanied the Mission Rabies teams during October 2018 for a morning session of vaccination. The participants helped with administering vaccinations, data collecting, writing vaccination cards and handing out educational material to members of the public (Figure 17 ).

A press conference organised by Dr Murugan was held on Tuesday 16th October 2018 at the YMCA in Panjim. Mr. Nigel Otter, WVS/MR Chairman gave the welcome address followed by an introduction and opening of the press conference by Dr Murugan. A presentation on the Mission Rabies project past, present and future was delivered by Dr Andy Gibson, supported by Julie, Gowri and Murugan (Vaccination, Surveillance and Education). In addition, Dr Karlette Fernandes presented on Sterilisation and other activities of the WVS Hicks ITC. A sample of the monthly news articles are shown in Figures 18, 19 and 20.

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Figure 20. Mission Rabies team leaders learning first aid skills at the Indian Red Cross Figure 17. WVS participants with the vaccination teams

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Figure 18. Mission Rabies news article – Navhind Times

Figure 19. Mission Rabies second news article – Navhind Times

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Voluntary group on mission to rid Goa of rabies by 2025

TNN | Oct 17, 2018, 07:34 IST

Picture used for representational purpose only

Julie Corfmat, the mission’s project manager in Goa, said the team has been able to vaccinate a large number of dogs from the state’s

beaches, as they found they were comfortable being around people and could be lured with food. While vaccination alone can help

eliminate rabies, the state government recently asked Mission Rabies for a proposal to sterilise 50,000 dogs over a period of one year.

The state has about 1.5 lakh dogs, of which 75,000 are owned dogs.

The Times of India

PANAJI: Mission Rabies, a countrywide initiative, has set 2025

as the deadline to attain rabies-free status for Goa. Director of

strategic research, Dr Andy Gibson, told reporters that the

organisation, together with the government, hopes to eliminate

human deaths caused due to rabies by 2020 and canine rabies

cases by 2023.

“If there are no rabies cases for the next two years (after 2023),

Goa can apply for rabies-free status from the World Health

Organisation,” he said, adding anti-rabies vaccinations will

continue for seven years thereafter. This will help the state

achieve a global gold standard tourist destination status.

Two human deaths as a result of rabies and 79 canine rabies

cases were reported last year. “This year, however, no human

death has been reported till now, though there have been 24

canine rabies cases,” Gibson said. A mass vaccination drive

is under way in the Bardez taluka, and the voluntary

organisation has appealed to the public to cooperate with

getting their own dogs as well as those in their vicinity

vaccinated. Mission Rabies director of education (India), Dr

Murugan Appupillai, told reporters the team faced resistance

while getting dogs vaccinated in Sanguem, where rumours

among the locals sparked fear of the vaccination drive.

Figure 20. Mission Rabies news article – Times of India

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Mission Rabies Goa Project Full Vaccination Summary

Year

Vaccination Total

2013 5,767 2014 24,306 2015 56,681 2016 51,294 2017 96,033

2018 to date 74,623