# Control and Prevention of Zoonotic Epidemics in Cities: A Socio-Spatial Approach

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $54,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
Zoonotic diseases present unique challenges for public health due to the complex interactions between
humans, animals, pathogens, and the environment. Urbanization, migration, and the urban landscape add
additional layers of complexity to these interactions, and the control and prevention of zoonotic pathogens
requires innovative multidisciplinary methodological approaches that take into account social, spatial and
population dynamics in urban areas.
 Epidemics of zoonotic pathogens are ongoing in major urban centers across Latin America and
worldwide, and among them, the city of Arequipa, Peru is in the midst of a canine rabies epidemic. The drivers
of this epidemic work at many levels: Individual- and community-level factors, including social determinants,
may explain the currently low vaccination rate of domestic animals against rabies. Urban geography can also
affect participation in zoonotic disease control programs, facilitating the emergence of canine rabies and
complicating its control. Free-roaming owned and stray dogs with their unique ecology and population
dynamics could also impact the results of control activities. In this proposal I will develop a new approach for
the control and prevention of zoonotic disease in cities that integrates mathematical and social approaches,
using rabies as a model zoonotic disease strongly determined by urban dynamics.
 Following the urban re-emergence after 15 years, the Ministry of Health has failed to quell the rabies
epidemic in Arequipa's complex urban environment. I hypothesize that the failure is due primarily to three
factors: 1) Poorly understood determinants of canine vaccination uptake; 2) Ignored spatial heterogeneity of
unvaccinated dogs, especially stray dogs; and, 3) Suboptimal placement of vaccine tents across the urban
landscape.
 Under a first aim, a qualitative study and a survey are proposed to identify social and spatial
determinants of canine vaccination uptake in urban settings. The second aim will evaluate mathematically
different strategies that consider the role of stray dogs in rabies control programs. Finally, the third aim will
incorporate social and spatial factors into a mathematical algorithm to optimize the location of vaccine tents.
For this third study, a discrete-choice experiment will be performed to test the acceptability of the optimized
vaccine stand placements.
This proposal aims to produce an urgently needed novel approach for zoonotic disease control programs in
cities to integrate urban landscapes, health behaviors, diverse populations, and optimal placement of health
service facilities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10489525
- **Project number:** 3K01AI139284-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ricardo Castillo Neyra
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $54,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10489525

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10489525, Control and Prevention of Zoonotic Epidemics in Cities: A Socio-Spatial Approach (3K01AI139284-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10489525. Licensed CC0.

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