More People, More Puppies and Less Latin American Rabies

Abstract

Since 1983 the countries of Latin America have come together as one to eliminate the fatal disease of rabies within the region. Through their international collaboration they have reduced human rabies case incidence by over 95%. There are political, economic, social, environmental and biological factors which contribute to this successful international public health campaign. With the oversight and collaboration of researchers at Washington State University (WSU) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), last summer I examined the various factors and their impact on postexposure vaccine usage. In this talk I will present our current findings, how we found them, and what can be done with them. I will elaborate on the background of the biological and the political situation of the REDIPRA cooperation of countries. I will also explain the supply and demand theory behind the econometric models, as well as describe the various types of modeling used in analysis. Finally, I will explore epidemiological implications of our models on the global scale.