RIO DE JANEIRO, September 3 — The Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA) has rolled out a new methodology aimed at helping countries across Latin America and the Caribbean count and map their dog and cat populations with greater precision. The launch, held here earlier this week, marks a practical step toward sharper public health planning in a region where the bond between people and animals runs deep but carries real risks when left unmanaged.
The “Methodology for Estimating Dog and Cat Populations in Latin America and the Caribbean” offers public health and animal health authorities a standardized yet adaptable framework. It includes questionnaires that can be tailored to local conditions, checklists for fieldwork, and guidance for analyzing the results.
The approach is flexible enough for different geographic and social settings. Manuel Sánchez Vázquez, Director of PANAFTOSA, said understanding the size, distribution, and characteristics of dog and cat populations is essential for guiding public health and animal health actions. He noted that the methodology provides a practical tool to generate reliable information, strengthen the prevention of zoonotic diseases, and support evidence-based decision-making through a One Health approach.
The Human-Animal Balance
The relationship between people and dogs and cats brings tangible benefits. These animals provide companionship, contribute to emotional well-being, and assist with guarding property, herding livestock, controlling pests, and supporting people with disabilities. Yet this closeness has a flip side when ownership is irresponsible, animals are abandoned, or breeding goes uncontrolled.
Free-roaming populations can become a bridge for disease. Close interaction between humans and animals can facilitate the transmission of several zoonotic diseases.
The source material names rabies, sporotrichosis, dermatophytosis, Bartonella henselae infection, visceral leishmaniasis, and echinococcosis among the concerns. Rabies remains a significant concern. Countries in the Americas have made progress in controlling dog-mediated rabies, but the disease still claims lives.
Between 2023 and August 2026, health authorities recorded 62 human rabies cases in the Americas, with 32 of those linked to dog transmission.
Vaccination at Scale
Prevention efforts are already massive. Each year, countries across the Region vaccinate at least 50 million dogs through public vaccination campaigns to block rabies transmission. The new methodology is designed to make such campaigns more targeted and efficient by giving planners better population estimates to work with.
Beyond rabies, improved data should sharpen disease surveillance and control for other conditions, help authorities plan vaccination drives more precisely, and support a range of additional public health actions. The One Health framing — recognizing that human, animal, and environmental health are intertwined — runs through the entire effort.
What Comes Next
The methodology is a practical, field-ready resource rather than a theoretical exercise. Countries now have access to tools they can adapt and deploy. The test will be uptake: whether national and local authorities integrate these methods into their routine planning, and whether the resulting data translate into more effective interventions on the ground.
For communities across Latin America and the Caribbean, where dogs and cats are part of daily life, that follow-through matters. Patients should discuss any animal-related health concerns with their local health providers, particularly after bites or unexplained symptoms.
The methodology itself is a planning tool for governments, but individual awareness and prompt medical attention remain vital lines of defense against zoonotic disease. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
