Epidemiologic monitoring of human rabies in an endemic canine rabies area in the Ivory Coast

Aim. - The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiologic monitoring of human rabies in the rabies medical center of Abidjan. Patient. - A cross-sectional study was undertaken based on files of patients having consulted in the rabies center after exposure and suspicion of human rabies between January 2001 and June 2009. Results. - Twenty-six cases of human rabies were reported in 10,706,136 inhabitants (annual incidence of 0.028 cases per 100,000). The number of detected cases increased considerably after reinforcing the monitoring of the disease. Most cases occurred in an urban environment and concerned both sexes. The most concerned age range was under 31 years. The patients' were mostly school children and housewives. In all cases, the rabid animal was a dog and the type of exposure was a bite. Fifty-six percent of the victims had not received any local treatment and almost all no post-exposure prophylaxis. The mean delay before the first symptoms was 49.5 days after exposure and for death, 4 days after the onset of symptoms. Virological diagnosis was made in four cases. Conclusion. - In spite of the increase of cases observed since 2006, certainly due to reinforcement of the monitoring network, improvement is needed to assess the real incidence of rabies in the Ivory Coast. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.