A quantitative risk assessment model to evaluate effective border control measures for rabies prevention

• Published in: Veterinary research (Paris) Vol. 41; no. 1; p. 11
• Main Authors: WENG, Hsin-Yi, WU, Pei-I, YANG, Ping-Cheng, TSA, Yi-Lun, CHANG, Chao-Chin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Les Ulis EDP Sciences 01.01.2010; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Animal biology; Animal genetics; Animals; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biological and medical sciences; Cat Diseases - prevention & control; Cats; Cell Behavior; Cellular Biology; Crime; Dog Diseases - prevention & control; Dogs; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics; Immunology; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Microbiology and Parasitology; Miscellaneous; Models, Biological; Molecular biology; Neurons and Cognition; Original; Rabies - epidemiology; Rabies - prevention & control; Risk Assessment; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Taiwan; Virology; Taiwan; risk assessment; Nervous system diseases; Rabies virus; Infection; Virus; Prevention; Mononegavirales; Rhabdoviridae; Viral disease; Rabies; Lyssavirus; animal; Models; quarantine; importation; Veterinary; Quantitative analysis; rabies
• ISSN: 0928-4249; 1297-9716
• DOI: 10.1051/vetres/2009059

Border control is the primary method to prevent rabies emergence. This study developed a quantitative risk model incorporating stochastic processes to evaluate whether border control measures could efficiently prevent rabies introduction through importation of cats and dogs using Taiwan as an example. Both legal importation and illegal smuggling were investigated. The impacts of reduced quarantine and/or waiting period on the risk of rabies introduction were also evaluated. The results showed that Taiwan's current animal importation policy could effectively prevent rabies introduction through legal importation of cats and dogs. The median risk of a rabid animal to penetrate current border control measures and enter Taiwan was 5.33 x 10(-8) (95th percentile: 3.20 x 10(-7)). However, illegal smuggling may pose Taiwan to the great risk of rabies emergence. Reduction of quarantine and/or waiting period would affect the risk differently, depending on the applied assumptions, such as increased vaccination coverage, enforced custom checking, and/or change in number of legal importations. Although the changes in the estimated risk under the assumed alternatives were not substantial except for completely abolishing quarantine, the consequences of rabies introduction may yet be considered to be significant in a rabies-free area. Therefore, a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis needs to be conducted before recommending these alternative measures.