PAHO Consultant - Validation of Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination and Assessment of Bat Rabies Prevention Gaps in Trinidad and Tobago

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Contractual Agreement:

Non-Staff - National PAHO Consultant

Job Posting:

July 3, 2026

Closing Date:

July 13, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

TTO Trinidad and Tobago

Schedule:

Full time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

Elimination of communicable diseases such as Rabies mediated by dogs and bats in the Region is a key element of the OneHealth approach to the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas, 2018-2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3.3 (ending the epidemics of neglected tropical diseases, and combating hepatitis, waterborne, vector-borne, zoonotic and other communicable diseases by 2030) and the Integrated, Sustainable Framework to Elimination of Communicable Diseases in the Americas .

There have been zero reported cases of human rabies in Trinidad (there has never been a single case of human rabies in Tobago) since 1937, zero evidence of rabies virus in dogs since 1917 and only sporadic cases of rabies in livestock mediated by bats since 2000. However, as these accomplishments have never been documented as per PAHO/WHO standards, the country cannot claim elimination status for this disease.

Engaging a consultant to document the successful elimination of transmission of canine mediated rabies in Trinidad and Tobago will accomplish several simultaneous objectives:

• Establish Trinidad and Tobago as the 2nd PAHO country (Mexico) to successfully document elimination of dog mediated rabies as a public health problem

• Review and catalog any coordination, communication, and collaboration gaps in the administrative interfaces between relevant departments/Teams within the Ministry of Health (including, but not limited to Veterinary Public Health), the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (responsible for disease control in animals), Ministry of Rural Development, CARPHA, the University of the West Indies, the Veterinary programme responsible for the effort against bat mediated rabies in livestock and any other relevant stakeholders

• Position the country to mount a more coherent response to any emerging or endemic zoonotic infections (e.g. Tuberculosis, Yellow Fever, West Nile virus, Avian influenza, etc.)

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Terms of Reference

Consultant – Validation of Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination and Assessment of Bat Rabies Prevention Gaps in Trinidad and Tobago (NPC Band C)

Timeframe: 1 August 2026 – 8 January 2027 (100% FTE, full time)

Location: Off-site

Objectives of the Office/Department

PAHO Country Offices are responsible for ensuring that the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) country program of technical cooperation and its country presence provides adequate support to the national health development process and, at the same time, enables countries to shape the sub-regional, regional, and global health agendas. The PAHO/WHO Trinidad and Tobago Country Office (PAHO/WHO TTO CO), covering Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, is the basic organizational unit for technical cooperation with the countries, drawing on PAHO/WHO resources from all levels and all parts of the Organization.

Organizational Context

Elimination of communicable diseases such as Rabies mediated by dogs and bats in the Region is a key element of the OneHealth approach to the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas, 2018-2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3.3(ending the epidemics of neglected tropical diseases, and combating hepatitis, waterborne, vector-borne, zoonotic and other communicable diseases by 2030) and the Integrated, Sustainable Framework to Elimination of Communicable Diseases in the Americas.

There have been zero reported cases of human rabies in Trinidad (there has never been a single case of human rabies in Tobago) since 1937, zero evidence of rabies virus in dogs since 1917 and only sporadic cases of rabies in livestock mediated by bats since 2000. However, as these accomplishments have never been documented as per PAHO/WHO standards, the country cannot claim elimination status for this disease.

Engaging a consultant to document the successful elimination of transmission of canine mediated rabies in Trinidad and Tobago will accomplish several simultaneous objectives:

• Establish Trinidad and Tobago as the 2nd PAHO country (Mexico) to successfully document elimination of dog mediated rabies as a public health problem
• Review and catalog any coordination, communication, and collaboration gaps in the administrative interfaces between relevant departments/Teams within the Ministry of Health (including, but not limited to Veterinary Public Health), the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (responsible for disease control in animals), Ministry of Rural Development, CARPHA, the University of the West Indies, the Veterinary programme responsible for the effort against bat mediated rabies in livestock and any other relevant stakeholders
• Position the country to mount a more coherent response to any emerging or endemic zoonotic infections (e.g. Tuberculosis, Yellow Fever, West Nile virus, Avian influenza, etc.)

Scope of Work & Methodology

Under the general supervision of the Representative of the PAHO/WHO TTO and the technical supervision of the PAHO Communicable Disease Advisor, and in collaboration with the Acting Director, Animal Public Health, and the Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (or its functional equivalent), the consultant will prepare a Dossier of evidence for presentation to WHO (described in the deliverables section) requesting validation that human rabies mediated by dogs has been eliminated as a public health problem in Trinidad and Tobago.

The template for developing this dossier will be made available to the consultant. It is designed to help national rabies programmes prepare supporting evidence for presentation to WHO, requesting validation that rabies has been eliminated as a public health problem. The information presented in the dossier will help reviewers to understand the achievements of the programme by providing both epidemiological evidence and the broader context.

In the case where the information sought for the dossier is not available, not applicable or not possible to obtain, the consultant will be required to document the gaps and/or challenges to obtaining the information for review by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Health. In this way this exercise will either be a confirmation of the strength of the National Rabies programme or an effective diagnostic identifying precisely where the relevant gaps that need to be addressed can be found.

Finally, while this assignment is expressly to validate the elimination of rabies mediated by dogs, the findings will bring value to the effort to eliminate rabies in livestock mediated by bats, given the extensive overlaps in the research, awareness, policy and treatment infrastructure between the two diseases.

Qualifications

Essential:

· Bachelor’s degree in human or animal health sciences from a recognized institution

Desirable:

· Master’s degree or higher accreditation in human or animal health sciences areas from a recognized institution

Experience:

Essential:

· Minimum 7 years of national experience working with various health ministry programmes

· Experience in data analysis, impact assessment, or similar studies

Desirable:

· 3 years’ experience in zoonotic or vector-based disease prevention or veterinary health services and/or microbiology laboratory operations

· Experience working with Ministries of Health or national authorities

· Experience in the Caribbean context

Technical Expertise:

• Knowledge of health systems and operations

• Strong analytical and research skills

• Strong professional writing skills

• Project management and coordination skills

• Stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills

Reporting Relationship:

The consultant will report to the PAHO Technical Officer, Communicable Disease Elimination and Control. The consultant will submit invoices and activity reports for approval by the PAHO/WHO Representative, according to the schedule indicated below.

Remuneration:

The consultant will be remunerated at the Band C level of the approved PAHO National Consultant Pay Band for Trinidad and Tobago. The consultancy is a 100% FTE (full-time) assignment. The total value of the contract is TTD 201,000.00, payable upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the deliverables outlined below.

Deliverables and Payment Schedule: (Based on Band C)

Deliverable 1 (TT$40,200 upon receipt of deliverable); due: 7 September 2026

Provide a concise programmatic and demographic overview for the National Rabies control programme to document that:

• There has not been a human death from dog mediated rabies for at least 24 months

• TTO operates and maintains an adequate surveillance and reporting system for rabies

• TTO demonstrates effective implementation of rabies control programme in human and animal populations

Deliverable 2 (TT$40,200 upon receipt); due: 7 October 2026

• Collect evidence of a national rabies control programme

Deliverable 3 (TT$40,200 upon receipt); due:7 November 2026

• Collect evidence of rabies control activities (or justification of why such policies are unnecessary)

Deliverable 4 (TT$40,200 upon receipt); due: 7 December 2026

• Collect evidence of rabies surveillance in humans and animals (or justification of why such policies are unnecessary)

• Demonstrate plans for post-verification rabies surveillance

Deliverable 5 (TT$40,200 upon receipt); due: 7 January 2027

· Complete the final report to PAHO TTO Office, Ministry of Health, Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (or its functional equivalent)

The total value of the contract is TTD 201,000.00

Deliverables to be encompassed in this project:

Deliverable 1: Concise background for the National Rabies control programme

This programmatic and demographic background will describe:

• Demographic and Economic features of TTO

• Overview of the Animal Health system in the country including the human resources employed in the programme and the financial resources available to the programme

• Information about past rabies epidemiology in the country including any past relevant interventions

Deliverable 2: National Rabies control programme

• Regulatory framework relevant to Rabies

• National Rabies control strategy, including implementation, responsibilities by sector, structure and year established

• Data collection and management system to report data
  • Evaluation of health system and cross-sectoral capacity to manage risks of climate-sensitive outcomes

Deliverable 3: Documentation of Rabies control activities

(or relevant justification why such activities are unnecessary)

• Documentation of the provision of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), including:
• Type of vaccine and RIG available and their sub-national distribution mechanisms
• Number and proportion of primary care centers with capacity for PEP (Vaccine only vs vaccine and RIG)
• Number of vaccine and RIG doses administered per year
• Proportion of PEP courses administered by intramuscular or intradermal regimens

• Documentation of animal vaccination, or animal population management measures, including:
• Number of dogs vaccinated per year and by appropriate administrative subdivision
• Estimated dog population in the country
• Target animal/livestock populations for vaccination
• Type of vaccine used, source of vaccine and current level of vaccine stocks

Deliverable 4: Documentation of human rabies surveillance activities

(or relevant justification why such activities are unnecessary)

• National notification of human and animal rabies cases to WHO and WOAH

• Capability to diagnose rabies cases with WHO/WOAH standard diagnostic tests in appropriately equipped laboratories or networks for the confirmation of rabies

• Evidence of sample submissions from all parts of the country to assess coverage and show any possible gaps in coverage

• The number of suspected or probable human or animal rabies cases or probable rabies exposures that have been investigated each year and the nature of the investigations

• Available case reports on the last human rabies case to be reported (where available)

• Demonstration of a surveillance system able to detect, report and investigate suspected cases of human rabies from all areas of the country

• Number of clinically and lab confirmed rabies cases in dogs and other animals

• Number of dog and other suspected animal bite incidents in humans and other animals per year

• Number of routine epidemiologic investigations on suspected or probable rabies cases in dogs or other animals (including rapid collection and transport of samples for lab diagnosis)

Documentation of planned or current post verification rabies surveillance including:

• Procedures and evidence of continued surveillance to ensure early detection of any imported cases

• Plans for appropriate treatment of people exposed to non-canine rabies variants or lyssaviruses or bitten while travelling

• Plans for continued provision of human post-exposure prophylaxis

• Cross Border plan to prevent reintroduction of rabies from neighboring countries

Deliverable 5: Final reports

Complete the final report to the PAHO TTO Office, Ministry of Health, Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (or its functional equivalent) that:

• Describes recommended actions that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago might consider to effectively implement the programme post validation

• Identifies and addresses any programmatic or infrastructure gaps that compromise the effort against bat mediated rabies in livestock
• Describes recommended actions that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago might consider to mount a coherent response to any emerging or endemic zoonotic infections (e.g. Tuberculosis, Yellow Fever, West Nile virus, Avian influenza, etc.)

Confidentiality and Ownership:

• All deliverables produced during the consultancy will remain the property of the PAHO/WHO TTO CO.

• The consultant agrees to maintain confidentiality regarding any sensitive information or data shared during the assignment.

Evaluation:

Performance will be evaluated based on:

• Quality and timeliness of deliverables
• Technical rigor and completeness
• Alignment with Template dossier for validation of elimination of dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem
• Stakeholder engagement and feedback

Terms and Conditions

• The consultant agrees to comply with all applicable legal and ethical standards.

END

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection for a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this consultancy. For assessment of your application, please ensure that your profile in the PAHO Career page is updated; all experience records are entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time. Kindly note that CV/PHFs inserted via LinkedIn are no accessible.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. PAHO/WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO/WHO Regulations, and e-Manual.
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• PAHO/WHO is committed to providing a respectful and supportive workplace for all personnel .
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• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between PAHO and the Consultant.
• PAHO/WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by PAHO/WHO.