Enhancing Human Post-Exposure Rabies Prophylaxis in Canine Rabies Endemic Regions With an Interactive Web Solution.

Abstract

Despite the availability of effective biologics, rabies continues to impact several low- and middle-income countries. More than 50,000 people succumb to rabies every year due to the lack of timely and appropriate post-bite care. Biologics used in post-exposure prophylaxis, such as rabies vaccine, rabies immune globulins, and rabies monoclonal antibodies, are not readily available and often in short supply in the developing world, especially in Asia and Africa, where rabies is endemic in domestic dog populations and poorly controlled. Moreover, many healthcare professionals in these settings have less than ideal knowledge of current post-exposure prophylaxis guidelines. To combat this, we have integrated current post-bite prophylaxis guidelines and accurate information about the availability of rabies biologics into an interactive, user-friendly web application, ZeroRabiesApp (ZRA). Designed as a point-of-care tool for treating dog bite cases, ZRA generates a customized post-exposure prophylaxis schedule using the user-provided date of exposure. The schedule is based on the latest guidelines developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The ZRA also provides access to the rabies biologics database that can be used to find the nearest locations where rabies biologics needed for post-exposure prophylaxis are currently available. The freely available app can offer a simple, real-time, and local solution to prevent human rabies deaths following potentially rabid exposures like dog bites.