Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Pan American Food-and-Mouth Disease Centre (PANAFTOSA), Pan American Health Organization, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Vet Microbiol. 2019 Jan;228:93-100. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.11.020. Epub 2018 Nov 20.
Vampire bat-transmitted human rabies was first recognized in Trinidad during a major outbreak during the first half of the 20th century. To date, Trinidad is the only Caribbean island with vampire bat-transmitted rabies. Herein, we summarized the epidemiological situation of rabies in Trinidad during the period 1971-2015 through the analysis of field and laboratory records. During the study period, 259 domestic and wild animal rabies cases were laboratory confirmed with an annual median of 2 animal rabies cases. Over the 45 years, five significant epizootic events occurred (in 1974, 1997-1998, 2000, 2010 and 2012-2013) over which there was a significant increasing trend for the occurrence of rabies cases. The highest number of cases (87 cases) occurred during the 1997-1998 event, and the rabies positive proportion, was highest (0.7, 95% CI 0.52-0.84) for the year 2000. Rabies risk was highest for cattle (negative binomial parameter estimate 4.84, 95% CI 3.45-6.76), although numerous rabies cases were seen in the caprine population during the study period. In light of this finding, consideration should be given to including the small ruminant population in the national rabies vaccination program. Outbreaks affected mainly the counties of St. Patrick and St. George East, with epidemic progression outwards, and these areas should be prioritized for prevention and control efforts.
19 世纪上半叶，特立尼达发生了一场大规模的狂犬病爆发，首次确认了吸血蝙蝠传播的人类狂犬病。迄今为止，特立尼达是加勒比唯一有吸血蝙蝠传播狂犬病的岛屿。在此，我们通过对现场和实验室记录的分析，总结了 1971 年至 2015 年期间特立尼达的狂犬病流行病学情况。在研究期间，实验室确认了 259 例家养和野生动物狂犬病病例，年中位数为 2 例。在这 45 年中，发生了五次重大的疫病事件（1974 年、1997-1998 年、2000 年、2010 年和 2012-2013 年），狂犬病病例的发生呈显著上升趋势。1997-1998 年发生的事件中病例数最多（87 例），2000 年狂犬病阳性比例最高（0.7，95%CI 0.52-0.84）。牛的狂犬病风险最高（负二项参数估计值为 4.84，95%CI 3.45-6.76），尽管在研究期间山羊群体中也出现了大量狂犬病病例。鉴于这一发现，应考虑将小反刍动物群体纳入国家狂犬病免疫接种计划。疫情主要影响圣帕特里克和圣乔治东两个县，向外蔓延，这些地区应优先进行预防和控制工作。
