Laboratory-Based Surveillance of Animal Rabies in the Bono East Region of Ghana: A Six-Year Retrospective Study (2020–2025)

Rabies remains one of the world's oldest and most devastating zoonotic diseases, which is fatal yet preventable, causing thousands of human deaths each year, particularly in Africa and Asia. In Ghana, domestic dogs are the principal reservoir of the rabies virus, but information on the epidemiology of animal rabies from routine laboratory surveillance is limited in many regions. We reviewed six years (2020 – 2025) of laboratory records from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Techiman, Bono East Region, to describe the epidemiological characteristics of suspected animal rabies cases and laboratory-confirmed infections. Of the 51 brain samples submitted for diagnosis, 46 (90.2%) were confirmed positive for rabies. Domestic dogs accounted for almost all submissions, and most confirmed cases involved animals that were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination history. Furthermore, most suspected animals had reportedly bitten humans before laboratory investigation, highlighting the continuing public health risk posed by canine rabies. The study also documents how regional diagnostic capacity was strengthened through collaboration with national reference laboratories, enabling the routine use of internationally recommended diagnostic methods such as the fluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction. These findings provide valuable evidence to support enhanced rabies surveillance, increased mass dog vaccination, improved public awareness, and strengthened One Health collaboration. Such measures are essential for reducing human rabies deaths and supporting Ghana's contribution to the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.