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About the Authors:
Cristolde Salomão
Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Visualization, Writing - original draft
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: Department of Surveillance, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Amílcar Nacima
Roles Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing - original draft
Affiliation: Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Lutero Cuamba
Roles Investigation, Writing - original draft
Affiliation: Maputo City Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Lorna Gujral
Roles Supervision, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, National Directorate of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Olga Amiel
Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, National Directorate of Public Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Cynthia Baltazar
Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: Department of Surveillance, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
Julie Cliff
Roles Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing - original draft
Affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
Eduardo Samo Gudo
Roles Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Resources, Visualization, Writing - original draft
Affiliation: Department of Surveillance, National Institute of Health, Maputo, Mozambique
ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8686-7873Abstract
Background
In Mozambique, the majority of rabies outbreaks are unreported and data on the epidemiological features of human rabies and animal bites are scarce. An outbreak of human rabies in adjacent Maputo and Matola cities in 2014 prompted us to investigate the epidemiology, clinical features and risk factors of human rabies and animal bites in the two cities.
Methodology/Principal findings
We reviewed cases of human rabies and animal bites from April to July 2014, and carried out a community investigation in July and August in the neighborhoods where cases of human rabies resided. This investigation included collection of clinical, demographic and epidemiological information and a case control study to investigate the risk factors associated with human rabies. Fourteen cases of human rabies were detected in Maputo (n = 10) and Matola (n = 3) cities and neighbouring Boane district (n = 1) between April and August 2014, all of whom had been admitted to hospital. All had a recent history of dog bite. Of the 14 rabid dogs, only one had been immunized. 819 cases of animal bites were registered, of which 64.6% (529/819) were from...