Rabies sample submission to diagnostic centres: A potential bias in disease surveillance data

Understanding of rabies epidemiology is required for efficient planning and implementation of prevention, control and elimination. This is achieved through accurate and reliable data collected through Surveillance. This study aimed to determine the distribution and pattern of rabies samples submission across the country at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, Plateau State and Nigeria, within five months (May –September 2020). A total of seventy-eight suspected rabid animal samples Canine (Dog, n=72; 92.3%), Chiroptera (Bat, n=2; 2.6%), Ovine (Sheep, n=1; 1.3%) and Caprine (Goat, n=3; 3.8%) were submitted for diagnosis at the Rabies Diagnosis and Research Laboratory NVRI Vom Plateau State, Nigeria. A total of 78 samples, 72% were brought from Plateau State, 10 % from Bauchi State, 5.3% from Kano State, 4.0% from Akwa Ibom State, 2.6% from Kaduna, while Bayelsa, Ebonyi and Gombe states had 1.3% respectively. The geographical distribution of the samples revealed a significant proportion (72%) was collected from Plateau State. This reflects a potential bias due to proximity of the Diagnostic Laboratory, which is located within the state. This uneven distribution may limit the generalization of the findings across Nigeria, highlighting the need for more comprehensive surveillance to reflect representative sample collection across different regions of the Country. In this study, the greater part (92.3%) of rabid suspect animal species was domestic dogs. These findings underscore the critical role of dogs in the epidemiology of rabies and the need for targeted interventions amongst canine populations. It is recommended that comprehensive national rabies surveillance be conducted, especially among domestic dogs in the country.