Every year, rabies silently kills children across East Africa, even though it is one of the few infectious diseases that is 100% preventable. Globally, rabies causes approximately 59,000 deaths a year, mainly in Africa and Asia. In Kenya, 99% of human cases are attributed to dog bites/ scratches. In our region, children are the most vulnerable, often bitten while playing with dogs, and too often not able to access timely post-exposure (PEP) treatment that includes wound washing and vaccines. Families are torn apart, and even if governments have been spending billions on costly treatments, progress toward elimination is agonizingly slow.
As we speak, we have less than five years to reach the global target of zero human deaths from rabies by 2030; time is running out. The momentum is too slow, but the encouraging news is that new genomic tools are available to sharpen our control measures and accelerate the elimination of this deadly virus.
Genomic sequencing of the rabies virus (or any other pathogen) is a game-changer! It makes control efforts smarter and cheaper. Put simply, genomic sequencing is like reading the virus’ recipe or instruction manual, letter by letter. By doing this, scientists can figure out where the virus came from, how it travels from place to place, and why it keeps showing up in certain areas. This information is invaluable as it enables health and veterinary authorities to know exactly where (to stop the spread) and when (an outbreak is quickly detected) to target dog vaccination campaigns, and how to respond to outbreaks more efficiently. Genomic surveillance allows countries to make targeted responses instead of running blanket campaigns that stretch already thin resources, hence saving money and saving lives.
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The technology is no longer out of reach. Portable sequencers, like the Oxford Nanopore MinION, are affordable and have already been successfully deployed in Tanzania and Kenya. These handheld devices can be used in regional laboratories, providing results in real time. My Ph.D. research at the University of Nairobi, focusing on Genomic Surveillance to support rabies elimination in East Africa, generated 232 complete rabies virus genomes, the largest dataset to date for Kenya and Tanzania. The findings illustrated how rabies lineages cross borders, showing the urgent need for regional coordination and not just local action. Remarkably, the study showed that local labs can indeed perform genomic surveillance quickly and cost-effectively. Consensus FASTA files are now available on NCBI GenBank (accession numbers OR045927 to OR920354 )for scientists and policymakers.
Critics may argue that genomic sequencing is too technical and too expensive for low-resource countries. But I’d like to point out that costs have come down tremendously, and portable sequencing requires only basic training for local scientists to quickly master the technology. The long-term benefits far outweigh the initial investment, including targeted vaccination, outbreak prevention, fewer wasted resources on ineffective control strategies, and, as a result, a reduction in the number of children dying from a disease we already have the expertise to eradicate.
But science alone is not enough. What we need now is investment and political will. Ministries of Health and Veterinary, regional policymakers like Kenya’s County Governments (through the County Departments of Health and the Council of Governors) and Tanzania’s Regional Health Management Teams under the President’s Office – Regional Administration & Local Government (PO-RALG) and international funders like WHO, OIE, and Gavi and public health partners who set budgets and design programs for rabies control must come together to invest in regional genomic surveillance networks, train local scientists, and integrate sequencing data into rabies vaccination and programs.
Rabies does not respect borders. As my research shows, lineages move freely between Kenya and Tanzania. One country’s progress can be undermined by its neighbour’s laxity. That is why genomic surveillance is not just a scientific tool; it is a diplomatic one. It demands regional cooperation, data-sharing, and collective action.
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The 2030 goal of zero deaths is ambitious but achievable. With genomic surveillance guiding smarter vaccination campaigns and stronger cross-border collaboration, East Africa can be a model for the world in how to eliminate rabies. The science is ready. The tools are affordable. The evidence is clear.
This year’s World Rabies Day theme—Act Now: You, Me, Community—reminds us that collective responsibility is required to end Rabies. That said, we now need governments, donors, and partners to commit to acting decisively.
Rabies is entirely preventable–we have no excuse for continued loss of life. By investing in genomic surveillance today, we can end rabies deaths tomorrow.
The clock is ticking. The children of East Africa cannot wait any longer.
Dr. Gurdeep Jaswant is a PhD Fellow at the Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA), University of Nairobi
