Conservation Through Public Health

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka and Dr. Joseph Mavisi vaccinating dogs at Hamayanja village ajacent to Bwindi.

This week has been very exciting for Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH). We have expanded our Population, Health and Environment (PHE) model to include Rabies, one of the most common and well known zoonoses known to man. We started off by vaccinating 68 dogs and castrating 3 dogs in four villages, Hamayanja, Nyamishamba, Kyumbugushu and Mukono, bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. I was very touched by the great care shown by people for their dogs, some walked several kilometres and waited in the hot sun to have their dogs vaccinated. CTPH vaccinated dogs in collaboration with the Kanungu District Veterinary Office, working with the Animal Husbandry Officer, Jackson Kakwikire.
We were encouraged to do this much needed and important activity by Small Animal Veterinarian from Vermont, USA, Dr. Lynn Murrell and Livestock Veterinarian from Principality of Andorra, Dr. Jesus Muro, who has been supporting CTPH with equipment, supplies and drugs, since 1997 when I was Veterinary Officer in Uganda Wildlife Authority. Dr. Jesus Muro travelled from Kisoro with ecologist, Ruth Fletcher, having done a similar activity there with the Mgahinga Conservation and Development Organization (MCDO).
What prompted this exercise? David Matsiko, CTPH Community Telecentre Officer’s 11 year old cousin died tragically from a dog rabies bite last year in May 2009. The Kanungu District Veterinary Office did not have enough rabies vaccine to cover all the dogs particularly those surrounding protected areas, which incidentally are also their priority areas, because of the fear of wildlife being a reservoir of rabies for dogs.
Having vaccinated dogs in Kirima and Kihihi sub counties around Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kayonza and Mpungu sub counties around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Jackson, the Animal Husbandry Officer told us that he personally knew over 20 people who had been bitten by dogs in 2009 and fortunately were able to recover with anti-rabies vaccine at the neighbouring Bwindi Community Hospital. However, unfortunately Jackson knew of six people who died of rabies because they were not able to get to the hospital. This prompted Kanungu District Veterinary Officer, Dr. Aloysious Tumwesigye, to reinforce the annual rabies vaccination campaigns, taking advantage of World Rabies Day in September. However the District Veterinary Office were only able to vaccinate an estimated half of the dogs in December 2009 because the vaccines run out. The District Veterinary Officer was therefore very grateful for the generous donation from Dr. Lynn Murrell of 500 doses of Rabies vaccine to CTPH, together with other veterinary supplies.
To stop their dogs roaming frequently with greater risk of getting rabies, many community members were open to the idea of castrating their dogs, though not so keen on spaying them. The first dog we castrated was a German Shepard mongrel cross called “Brown”. The castration was done in the open field watched by over 200 school children from Bujengwe Primary School ranging from 5 to 13 years, who curiously leant over us as we were putting in the final sutures, a real live classroom experience for them!

We worked with CTPH Democratic Republic of Congo Program Officer/Veterinarian, Dr Joseph Mavisi, working in Mount Tshiabirimu, North Virunga National Park; Founder and Chief Veterinary Technician, Steven Rubanga, and CTPH staff from the Bwindi community, David Matsiko and Alex Ngabirano. We also worked with our new Community Health Coordinator, Joseph Byonanebye, who was able to obtain a testimony from one of the community members, saying “I walked two hours to get my dogs vaccinated in 2008, and 2009 and had to pay for the service, and envy those who have had the service brought close to them this time in February 2010 without having to pay”.
The Chairperson for Kayonza subcounty, LCIII Sam Karibwende was very excited about the vaccination campaign and offered to help us mobilise communities to ensure that ALL their dogs get vaccinated, an exercise which we will continue in March 2010.
How much are Bwindi gorillas at risk from rabies? The answer came from the Bwindi and Mgahinga Conservation Area Manager, Charles Tumwesigye, who told us that during gorilla habituation the team sometimes comes across poachers with dogs. Though the gorillas inevitably win the fight, there is great risk of them getting bitten by rabid dogs. This week’s activity therefore dealt with an important disease at the wildlife/livestock/human interface. Dr Lynn Murrell plans to return to Uganda every year to support rabies vaccination for the benefit of the human population as well as the gorillas and livestock.

Top: CTPH Dog vaccinations in Hamayanja village-February 2010

Bottom: Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Dr. Joseph Mavisi and Dr. Lynn Murrell castrating dogs at Kyumbugushu village adjacent to Bwindi.