Necessity of Multiple Strategies to Combat and Eliminate Rabies

Abstract

Rabies is a vaccine preventable viral disease and is the deadly of all human diseases.  There is no cure or treatment for disease, but disease is preventable by post-exposure immunization. Rabies is a zoonotic disease and a number of animals are reservoirs. Dogs have historically been associated with rabies transmission to humans, but cats, bats are also transmit rabies to humans. Globally, around 55,000 people die of rabies every year. Global estimate indicate that human mortality is highest in Asia, with the highest incidence and deaths reported in India.  The rabies is endemic in many geographic areas. Over the years, efforts have been made to control and eliminate rabies. Elimination of rabies from a geographic region and subsequent eradication is a realistic goal as safe, effective vaccine is  available for  pre-exposure and post- exposure immunization. There is a need for multiple strategies to control and combat rabies in any geographic region. Many factors should be taken into consideration for timely health and administrative interventions. The defined control and health intervention measures must be in place to control the disease. Making it as a notifiable disease, could help to provide more information about this disease surveillance and control.  The task of prevention is challenging because of the presence of large number of domestic and wild animals as reservoir of rabies virus. In endemic countries, multiple strategies should include control of stray animals to combat at virus source, vaccination of pet animals against rabies, immediate proper care of scratch or bite sites, pre-exposure and post exposure immunization.