Canine Rabies: A Looming Threat to Public Health

Abstract

Simple SummaryThis review is guided by three questions: What is canine rabies? Why is it a looming threat to public health? Why should we care about canine rabies being a public health threat? It seeks to answer these questions and notes that canine rabies is viral zoonosis with dogs being the major vectors. The disease is a looming threat to public health because rabid dogs bite humans, resulting in thousands of deaths every year. We should care about this evolving situation because, in general, rabies is a neglected disease for which there are vaccines, preventive measures, post-exposure prophylaxis, and control protocols.AbstractRabies is an acute, fatal viral disease that infects domestic and wild animals and is transmissible to humans. Worldwide, rabies kills over 55,000 people every year. The domestic dog plays a pivotal role in rabies transmission. Domestic dogs are not only part of our daily lives but also of our immediate surroundings, and this is reflected in the rise in pet dog ownership in developed and developing countries. This is important given that more frequent exposures and interactions at the animal-human interface increases the likelihood of contracting zoonotic diseases of companion animals. Despite existing vaccines and post-exposure prophylactic treatment, rabies remains a neglected disease that is poorly controlled throughout much of the developing world, particularly Africa and Asia, where most human rabies deaths occur. It is believed that with sustained international commitments, global elimination of rabies from domestic dog populations, the most dangerous vector to humans, is a realistic goal.

Epidemiological characteristics of rabies in Zambia: A retrospective study (2004–2013)

“…We focused on dog-bite cases, as the vast majority of human rabies cases are due to bites by domestic dogs. 4,5,7,14,15 Indeed, earlier literature in Zambia confirms that this is the case. 4 This phenomenon is to be patterned in many other countries in Africa and Asia.…”

“…This was probably due to higher exposure to outdoor activities to field work as a contributing factor. 5,16 Although, this analysis was restricted to human and dog rabies, other forms of rabies such as bovine and wildlife rabies have been recorded in Zambia. [2][3][4] However, dog rabies cases remain the highest among all groups.…”

“…[1][2][3] Human infection usually occurs following a bite or scratch by an infected animal. 4,5 Other forms of transmission include direct contact with the victim's mucosa or with fresh skin wounds by infectious material, usually saliva.…”

“…1 Most of these deaths, estimated to be 55,000 per year, occur in remote rural areas of Africa and Asia. [2][3][4][5][6] Unfortunately, these deaths are either under-reported or never reported at all. About 4 per 100,000 population are at risk of dying from rabies each year in Africa.…”

Economic and feasibility comparison of the dRIT and DFA for decentralized rabies diagnosis in resource-limited settings: The use of Nigerian dog meat markets as a case study

“…public health challenges posed by rabies [4]. These challenges are, however, avoidable because rabies is a preventable disease through either pre-or post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP or PEP) in humans and mass vaccination of dog populations.…”