Capacity Building Efforts for Rabies Diagnosis in Resource-Limited Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Report of the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Benin (Parakou).

Rabies has been listed as a priority zoonotic disease in many African countries and the countdown to reach the goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030 means that disease control measures need to be applied fast. In this context, an essential pillar of any national plan to control rabies is the implementation of reliable diagnostic techniques to ensure the success of field surveillance systems. Although many African countries have received international support for the control of rabies-some countries, like Benin, have not received a similar level of support.

Antigenic and molecular characterization of low pathogenic avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses in sub-Saharan Africa from 2017 through 2019.

Sub-Saharan Africa was historically considered an animal influenza cold spot, with only sporadic highly pathogenic H5 outbreaks detected over the last 20 years. However, in 2017, low pathogenic avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses were detected in poultry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Molecular, phylogenetic, and antigenic characterization of isolates from Benin, Togo, and Uganda showed that they belonged to the G1 lineage.