OBJECTIVES : Hoping to improve health-related effectiveness, a two-phase vaccination against rabies was
designed and executed in northern Tanzania in 2018, which included geo-epidemiological and economic
perspectives.
METHODS : Considering the local bio-geography and attempting to rapidly establish a protective ring
around a city at risk, the
first phase intervened on sites surrounding that city, where the population
density was lower than in the city at risk. The second phase vaccinated a rural area.
RESULTS : No rabies-related case has been reported in the vaccinated areas for over a year postimmunisation;
hence, the campaign is viewed as highly cost-effective. Other metrics included: rapid
implementation (concluded in half the time spent on other campaigns) and the estimated cost per
protected life, which was 3.28 times lower than in similar vaccinations.
CONCLUSIONS : The adopted design emphasised local bio-geographical dynamics: it prevented the
occurrence of an epidemic in a city with a higher demographic density than its surrounding area and it
also achieved greater effectiveness than average interventions. These interdisciplinary, policy-oriented
experiences have broad and immediate applications in settings of limited and/or time-sensitive
(expertise, personnel, and time available to intervene) resources and conditions.
