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However, due to the predicted influence of contact rates on disease spread, adjunct measures such as movement control could also reduce the potential for spread.Īccordingly, the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan for response should a rabies incursion occur recommends a range of control measures 20. Rabies is a vaccine preventable disease and mass vaccination of dogs is considered the foundation for canine-rabies control and elimination 18 it has been demonstrated to reduce incidence in many regions 19. Whilst the size and duration of predicted outbreaks vary between models, as well as between locations and types of dog population, predictions have consistently been sensitive to contact rates. Potential spread and the impacts of rabies in Australia have been investigated using rabies-spread models in populations of both free-roaming domestic and wild-living dogs 14, 15, 16, 17. Overlap between wild-dog territory and roaming ranges of domestic dogs also presents a risk of canine-rabies transmission between these populations 12, and increases the risk of endemicity should an incursion occur 5, 13. Although owned, these dogs roam freely, posing a risk in the case of a rabies incursion due to the potential for high contact rates 10. Outbreaks in south-east Asia have demonstrated the propensity for transboundary spread 6, 7, and recent research has identified potential entry and transmission routes for canine-rabies into Australia via Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait 5, 8, 9.ĭomestic dogs are abundant in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) communities in northern Australia 10, 11. Improvements in control and prevention – such as bite prevention, vaccination, surveillance, public awareness and effective dog movement restrictions – have the potential to significantly reduce the impact of rabies 4.Īustralia is currently free of canine-rabies 3 but the proximity of northern Australia to rabies-endemic Indonesia places this area at risk of an incursion 5. It causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths, and costs USD 8.6 billion annually due to premature deaths, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and income loss during courses of PEP 4. Although rabies virus can infect all mammals, canine-rabies is the most widely distributed form and accounts for over 95% of human infections 2, 3. Rabies is distributed throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and North and South America 1. These findings demonstrate that understanding community-specific temporal roaming patterns can inform targeted movement restrictions during an outbreak of rabies in remote communities in northern Australia. Daily peaks in mean roaming distance were observed at 1000–1100 hrs and 1700–1800 hrs in the Torres Strait, and 1700–1800 hrs in the NPA. Dogs roamed furthest in the NPA and during the dry season. The influence of risk factors (including age, sex, location, season and hour of day) on dogs’ distance from their residences were assessed. Global positioning system datasets from 132 dogs in eight Indigenous communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Australia were analysed using regression methods. Whilst dog vaccination is the foundation of rabies prevention, control strategies could be enhanced by understanding the temporal pattern of roaming and associated risk factors, so that movement restrictions can be targeted. Unrestricted contact between dogs could facilitate rabies spread following an incursion, and increase the impact on both dogs and people. Australia is canine rabies free but free-roaming, domestic dog populations in remote northern communities are at risk of an incursion due to proximity to rabies-endemic south-east Asia.