GARC’s July Featured Platform User: Department of Livestock Development, Zanzibar

 

This month’s featured GARC Data Platform user is the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), Zanzibar. The DLD falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources, and Livestock. They play a pivotal role in advancing the livestock sector through disease prevention and control. The DLD’s mandate includes enhancing animal health and productivity, as well as improving the well-being of livestock-keeping communities. They are actively involved in efforts to eliminate dog-mediated rabies on Zanzibar, and key activities include:

• Facilitating annual mass dog vaccination campaigns,
• Collecting data systematically,
• Formulating and implementing policies,
• Conducting research, and
• Strengthening the capacity of veterinarians and livestock officers

Since 2016, the DLD has used the GARC Data Platform to collect, visualize, and analyze rabies-related data across Zanzibar:

• Recorded 32,539 dog vaccinations
• Recorded 3,115 cat vaccinations.
• Documenting 80 laboratory-confirmed positive animal rabies cases and 88 negative cases.

 

 

 

We asked Dr. Ali Zahran Moh’d, Zanzibar’s Chief Veterinary Officer, some questions about their use of the Platform.

1. Briefly explain what rabies-related work you do? 

In Zanzibar, we work on rabies prevention by offering free annual mass dog vaccination campaigns and bite case follow-ups. We create community awareness through TV, radio, posters and workshops. We also perform sample and data collection. We then report the findings to the community as well as the national government to strengthen surveillance and response systems.

2. How long have you used the GARC Data Platform? 

We have been using the GARC Data Platform in Zanzibar since 2016 to track rabies cases, record human bite cases, monitor dog vaccinations, and improve response coordination.

3. What benefits have the GARC Data Tools provided you? 

The GARC Data Tools have significantly enhanced the DLD’s capacity to track, monitor and respond to rabies cases in real time. The tool also enables us to estimate vaccination coverage which facilitates more timely and targeted interventions. Additionally, the GARC Data Tools have:

• Strengthened the DLD’s ability to make evidence-based decisions;
• Improved coordination among key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock (MAINL), the Ministry of Health (MoH), and the One Health Coordination Desk;
• Supported the strategic planning of effective dog vaccination campaigns.

4. Which of the GARC Data Tools have been most beneficial to your work and why? 

The GARC Data Platform has been the most beneficial, as it allows us to record vaccination coverage and the rabies samples we collected. It also enables us to analyze bite cases and suspected rabies incidents in real time. This has improved our ability to identify high-risk areas, plan targeted dog vaccination campaigns, and respond quickly to outbreaks.

We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the DLD, Zanzibar. We also want to thank them for their ongoing use of the GARC Data Platform.

 

Are you working towards rabies elimination? Do you want to benefit from improving your data collection process? Do you want to be able to visualize this data to engage with potential donors in a more meaningful way? Contact us to become part of our growing network of GARC Data Platform users – click here.

Alternatively, if you are already actively using our GARC Data Platform, send an email to support@rabiesalliance.org and you could be our next featured user!