Mission Rabies Goa
Monthly Report – March 2019
By Julie Corfmat, Project Manager
Vaccination
Total number of dogs vaccinated in March 2019 = 6,861
March 2019 has been another busy month for the teams with almost 7,000 dogs vaccinated against rabies. The intense pre-monsoon heat suddenly arrived and it has been extremely humid along the coast. However, the teams have continued their work and at the beginning of March they divided in to North and South squads. The North squad commenced vaccinations in Tiswadi taluka (Figure 1) and the South squad remained in Salcete taluka to complete the last few villages (Figure 2). Tiswadi Vaccination Coverage - March 2019
Figure 1. Tiswadi Taluka Vaccination Coverage – March 2019 1
Salcete Vaccination Coverage December 2018 – March 2019
Figure 2. Salcete Taluka Vaccination Coverage. December 2018 (red) – March 2019 (green)
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Rabies Surveillance, Testing and IBCM
Total number of positive rabies cases in March 2019 = 3
During March 2019, the rabies response team attended to twelve suspected rabies cases (Table 1). Upon postmortem three were found positive and six were negative (Table 2). In December 2018, two rabid dogs were picked up from Arambol in Pernem Taluka, North Goa and due to a third positive case from the same area this month an intensive sterilisation, vaccination and education program was organised.
Table 1. March 2019 – Rabies cases attended
Sn Date of Species Positive/Nega Humans Taluka Panchayat Entire/ Ownership Response tive (LFT) exposed Neutered Status 1 04.03.2019 Dog Negative 2 Tiswadi Panjim Entire Stray 2 04.03.2019 Cow Positive 0 Pernem Morjim Entire Owned 3 12.03.2019 Dog Positive 0 Pernem Morjim Entire Stray 4 15.03.2019 Dog Autolysed 0 Pernem Hasapur Entire Owned 5 15.03.2019 Dog Autolysed 0 Pernem Hasapur Entire Owned 6 16.03.2019 Dog Positive 1 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray 7 16.03.2019 Dog Negative 0 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray 8 16.03.2019 Dog Negative 0 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray 9 16.03.2019 Dog Negative 0 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray 10 20.03.2019 Cow Negative 0 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray 11 21.03.2019 Dog Autolysed 0 Ponda Ponda Entire Stray 12 26.03.2019 Dog Negative 0 Pernem Arambol Entire Stray
Table 2. March 2019 – Rabies Case Summary
Total Total cases responded: 12 Positive by LFT 3 Negative by LFT 6 Number of necropsies 12 Autolysed brain samples – inconclusive result 3 Released after observation/Under Observation - Exposed Euthanised -
Dr Murugan and the education team – Ashok, Rakesh and Akshay worked alongside both the hand catching and net catching vaccination teams raising awareness of rabies and educating the local community on the importance of sterilisation and vaccination (Figure 3 and 4). A total of 537 dogs were vaccinated in Arambol panchayat in five days. 46 were already vaccinated bringing the total of vaccinated dogs to 583. The vaccination coverage achieved in Arambol is shown in Figure 5.
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Figure 3 and 4. Dr Murugan and the education team alongside the hand catching team raising awareness in Arambol
Figure 5. Arambol Emergency Vaccination Coverage – March 2019 Team Structure
This month Mission Rabies Goa was extremely happy to welcome Joan Fernandes back in to the team. Joan was previously employed as an Education Officer and has re-joined as Project Supervisor on a part-time basis. Joan has been spending time with the vaccination teams, coordinating with the education team and helping management with various duties including organising all the documents and files in the Panjim office (Figure 6). 4
Joan is a real advocate for animals and will be a great asset to Mission Rabies. Dr Anahita (Figure 7) also re- joined the vaccination teams in March 2019 along with Dr Jubair (Figure 8) who is undertaking his first Mission Rabies rotation after graduating and recently joining WVS. Both are excellent team leaders!
Figure 6. Joan Fernandes – Mission Rabies Project Supervisor
Figure 7. Dr Anahita hand vaccinating on Arambol beach Figure 8. Dr Jubair administering a vaccination
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Rescues and Releases
Total number of rescue cases during March 2019 = 18
The vaccination teams rescued a total of eighteen injured dogs during March 2019 (Figure 9). Nine dogs were suffering from maggot wounds, three with fractured legs, one dog with distemper, one with a plastic container stuck on its head, one with TVT, one purebred Doberman that was lost or abandoned, one tick infested puppy and one elderly owner dog which had to be euthanised as it was suffering from two very severe non-healing maggot wounds. Total number of animals released following treatment in March 2019 = 2
Only two dogs were released by the team this month following a successful course of treatment at South Goa Welfare Trust for Animals.
Thank you to South Goa Welfare Trust for Animals and Goa GPRS for helping with our rescue cases this month
Other News
nd rd Carnival – On the 2 and 3 March 2019, Mission Rabies and WVS participated in the Panjim and Margao carnival. It was a great opportunity to highlight the work being conducted across Goa and to raise awareness of our mission. Both carnivals were well attended and great fun was had by all (Figure 10). The animal handlers really did an excellent job – not only did they demonstrate their net catching skills in a play like fashion to entertain the crowd they distributed educational material to as many members of the public as possible. The teams were accompanied by one of the vehicles from WVS, the Mission Rabies surgical truck and one of the Mission Rabies Bolero’s which was kindly donated by the Rotary Club (Figure 11).
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Figure 9. Some of the animals rescued by the vaccination teams in March 2019 7
Figure 10. Mission Rabies/WVS carnival fun!
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Figure 11. One of the Mission Rabies vehicles donated by the Rotary Club participated in the carnival alongside the MR truck
WVS - Mission Rabies welcomed another batch of WVS participants for a morning session of vaccination. The participants helped with administering vaccinations, data collecting, writing vaccination cards and handing out emergency hotline cards to members (Figure 12).
Holi
Figure 12. WVS participants spent a morning with the vaccination teams
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Holi - On the 18th March the Mission Rabies vaccination teams took a well-earned rest to celebrate Holi (Figure 13). Holi is an ancient Hindu festival which signifies the victory of superior over immoral. It is also known as the festival of love or colour’s and people celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring by covering each other with bright coloured powder and water.
Figure 13. The vaccination teams celebrating Holi
Photo of the month > Employee of the month!
Our new feature this month not only highlights the photography skills of our animal handlers but their catching skills too! Anup Mankar captured Duryodhan using his mobile phone whilst a dog crept up behind him to sniff his net (Figure 14). Although Duryodhan may have been unaware of the dog he is one of our most skilled catchers and since the beginning of January 2019 he has managed to catch two dogs in the same net fifteen times!!!!
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Figure 14. ‘He’s behind you!’ Animal Handler - Duryodhan. Photo credit – Anup Mankar
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Mission Rabies Goa Project Full Vaccination Summary
Vaccination Total Year
2013 5,767 2014 24,306 2015 56,681 2016 51,294 2017 96,033 2018 97,043 2019 to date 24,330
Thank you to all our supporters!
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