Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 36 | Published: 06 Oct 2026
Wassiou Lassissi1,2,&, Rébecca Kinde3, Kokou Missiaménou4, Dzifa Nyametso34, Sanita Lare5, Koffi Akolly1, Takpaya Gnaro1,2, Arnold Tiokang Sadio1, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi1,2, Didier Koumavi Ekouevi1,2
1Resident at the West Africa Field Epidemiology Master’s School (WA-FELTP), Lome, Togo; 2Center for Training and Research in Public Health (CFRSP), Lome, Togo; 3Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene, Universal Health Coverage and Insurance, Lome, Togo; 4Regional Health Directorate, Plateaux Region; 5Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Resources and Food Sovereignty, East Plateaux Region
&Corresponding author: Wassiou Lassissi, West Africa Field Epidemiology Master’s School (WA-FELTP), Lome , Togo, Email: wasslass09@gmail.com, lassissiw@yahoo.fr, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7688-8384
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 29 Aug 2026, Published: 06 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Surveillance, human rabies, Togo
©Wassiou Lassissi 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: Wassiou Lassissi et al., Evaluation of the Human Rabies Surveillance System in the Plateaux-Est Region in 2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):36. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0036
A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in August 2025 among human and animal health stakeholders. We considered the period from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2024, to assess simplicity, acceptability, data quality, timeliness, representativeness, and usefulness. A purposive sample allowed us to interview 46 people at different levels of the regional pyramidal structure. The questionnaire was developed using the CDC evaluation guide, considering the level of each stakeholder. Data on human rabies cases were collected from health centers.
We surveyed 45/46 people. The system’s guidelines are followed by the actors. This system is simple and acceptable to the actors. However, we noted the absence of a notification form and a line list. The number of HR cases recorded in 2024 is the same in consultation registers, the RMA reports, and the DHIS2. Data validation is carried out with animal health personnel. Fifteen cases of HR were notified immediately by the hierarchy between 2020 and 2024, of which eight cases were investigated within 48 hours in 2024, with reports available. Nine out of fifteen HR cases were men. The 25–34 age group (6/15 cases) was the most represented. Twelve cases of HR (80.0%) came from rural areas. Finally, this system remains useful thanks to the public health measures implemented in the field by various stakeholders.
The human rabies surveillance system is simple, acceptable, responsive, and useful at both health sectors thanks to the achievements of epidemic-prone disease surveillance. It is important to establish a standard notification and investigation form and a line list for human rabies, if possible, for animal bites, and to subsidise the human rabies vaccine.
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