Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract 10 | Published: 16 Jul 2025
Hellen Kaoma1,2,3,&, Francis Mwenya1,3, Dabwitso Banda2, Lwito Mutale2, Chola Chanda4, Muyembe Chisotwa4, Moomba Simoonga4
1Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Lusaka, Zambia, 2Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia, 3Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, Lusaka, Zambia, 4Ministry of health, Zambia
&Corresponding author: Hellen Kaoma, Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia, Email: biancakaoma@gmail.com
Received: 03 Jun 2024, Accepted: 11 Aug 2024, Published: 16 Jul 2025
This is part of the Proceedings of the Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Conference, September 11 – 13, 2024
Keywords: Rabies, outbreak investigation, Kafue, Zambia
©Hellen Kaoma et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Hellen Kaoma et al. Suspected rabies outbreak investigation in Kafue District, Zambia, 2023. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(Conf Proc 4):10. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO4-00010
Zambia has experienced fluctuating numbers of dog bites. On September 4th, 2023, the District Health Office was notified of a suspected rabies case in a patient who had been bitten by a stray dog two weeks prior. The patient exhibited neurological symptoms consistent with rabies. The objective was to describe the suspected rabies outbreak.
An outbreak investigation was done that involved a multisectoral team , which included the Ministry of health, Provincial Health Office, District Health Office, veterinary Department, the Council, Local government and Police. The data was collected through interviews using structured questionnaire and records. Malaria and syphilis tests were carried out. The investigation was done and patient was managed. Mass dog vaccination and registration, including Health Care Risk assessment and scheduled Incident Management System (IMS) meetings were planned.
The patient was a 31-year-old male who presented with anxiety, agitation, disorientation, headache, hydrophobia, hyperactivity, insomnia, and itchiness at a recent dog bite site. The patient exhibited symptoms of psychosis, including flight of ideas and hallucinations, and was admitted for psychiatric evaluation. Malaria and syphilis test were negative and medication prescribed (artane, B complex, cloxacillin, haloperidol, paracetamol, and the anti-rabies vaccine). Patient escaped during the observation but was later located. The symptoms had resolved 10 days from the date onset. A total of 2060 dog vaccinations was done out of the 2360 set target. Dog registration was achieved and IMS meetings were held as scheduled.
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