Dog ecology in eastern and southern Africa: implications for rabies control

With an apparent decline in rabies vaccination coverage in dog populations in many parts of eastern and southern Africa, consideration should be given to more effective targeting of rabies vaccination to protect those sectors of the dog population with the greatest capacity to transmit rabies. This paper discusses the potential contributions that dog ecology studies may make to the improved delivery of rabies control measures and the targeting of vaccination programmes in the region. Data requirements on dog population size and structure are discussed, methods for collection of such data are summarized, and the studies on dog ecology carried out to date within the region are reviewed.