Surveillance is a key part of our work to protect at-risk communities now, and in the future. This means manning 24-hour emergency hotlines, deploying rabies response teams, and setting up what we call Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM).
This is an intensive surveillance technique whereby our officers actively seek out cases where a human has been bitten by a dog. Instead of waiting for people to report dogs showing signs of rabies, the officers screen cases in hospitals to find the ones most likely to be from rabid animals.
In one month alone, Lyson one of our IBCM officers in Malawi, investigated 12 cases across three districts, seven of which turned out to be rabid animals. One case, in particular, will stay in Lyson's mind for a long time and highlights the direct impact made by our IBCM work.
Lyson was called out to investigate the case of an aggressive dog which had been killed. The postmortem test result confirmed the suspicion that the animal was in fact rabid. While doing contact tracing, Lyson came across a lady who got bitten on her leg and hand by this dog the previous day. Unaware of the risk of rabies or the need for post-exposure vaccinations, she had not sought treatment. After Lyson clearly explained the deadly risks and how she could protect herself, the woman went to the district hospital to receive all five vaccinations.
Two months later, Lyson visited the woman and found her in good health. She was very grateful for the advice she received that day and is aware that this information very likely saved her life. She also promised that she will spread the word about Mission Rabies and our key messages in her village, especially to children, so they all know the crucial steps to take if they are bitten by a dog.
