Rabies in the South-East Asia Region

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease. It is spread to people and animals through bites or scratches, usually via saliva. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal.

Rabies is estimated to cause 59 000 human deaths annually in over 150 countries, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. Due to underreporting and uncertain estimates, however, this number is likely a gross underestimate. The burden of disease is disproportionally borne by rural poor populations, with approximately half of cases attributable to children under 15 years of age. In up to 99% of cases, dogs are responsible for rabies virus transmission to humans.

In the South-East Asia Region, rabies is endemic in 9 countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPRK, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Elimination of dog-mediated rabies as a public health problem is feasible through vaccination of dogs and dog population management, prevention of dog bites and ensuring universal access to post-exposure immunization.

Effective human vaccines and immunoglobulins exist to prevent human rabies. Immediate wound cleansing and immunization within a few hours after contact with a suspect rabid animal can prevent the onset of rabies and death.

Vaccinating dogs, supported by effective dog population management, is the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people. Globally it has been shown that control of canine rabies can be achieved with sustained dog vaccination coverage of 70%.