Ending Rabies as an Epidemiologic and Global Public Health Problem

Rabies remains a public health problem since ancient times and kills at least 59,000 annually, almost all transmitted via dog bites. It creates considerable economic impacts on developing countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. The World Health Organization has launched the elimination of rabies, as a global goal in the reduction of human rabies prevalence to zero cases by the end of 2030. Several countries, in Western Europe and North America, have adopted an elimination strategy for controlling rabies and have achieved elimination in the domestic dog population. The goal of elimination of rabies is achievable and would require substantial resources addressing this global health problem on individuals and health authorities, following WHO guidelines on the mass vaccination of dogs as well as increasing public awareness about rabies and its epidemiology.