Rabies in Thailand

Abstract

The prevalence of canine and human rabies in Thailand has decreased significantly during the last decade. This has been associated with an increasing number of human post-exposure treatments. Educational efforts, mass vaccination of dogs and cats and the use of safe and effective vaccines have all made an impact. The proportion of fluorescent antibody positive dogs, among those examined for rabies averaged 54% indicating that rabies is still a major public health threat. Canine rabies vaccination is not usually performed in animals < 3 months old. However, this study revealed that 14% of rabid dogs were < 3 months old and 42% were < or = 6 months old. This is the age group most likely to interact with humans and other dogs. Our study also supports the World Health Organization's recommendation that observing suspected rabid dogs for 10 days is an adequate and safe practice.

A pilot study on the usefulness of information and education campaign materials in enhancing the knowledge, attitude and practice on rabies in rural Sri Lanka

“…The REA requires that all dogs over six weeks of age be vaccinated [36]. However, recent reports have shown that the disease had been detected among puppies at the age of six weeks, the reason for initiating immunization at an earlier age [17,40,41].…”

“…Considering this, the government encourages and provides mass canine vaccination and sterilization to control rabies and dog population growth [10,16]. Like Thailand, destruction of dogs and cats is rarely practiced in Sri Lanka due to firmly rooted Buddhist ethics [17][18][19]. An earlier survey showed a low rate of submission of animal specimens for laboratory confirmation of rabies (2/357), which is inconsistent with the respondents" will to destroy rabies-suspect pets (71.1%) and strays (85.5%) [10,20].…”

Rabies: a review of UK management

“…37 A programme for the mass vaccination of cats and dogs has taken place in Thailand, seeking to reduce the prevalence of the disease. 38 Who actually needs this treatment The central issues in the ED are which patients require postexposure treatment, and which regimen is the most appropriate. The following guidelines aim to give an idea of where to start but we recommend always discussing the case with the virologist on call in the local hospital for more specialist advice concerning the local protocol.…”

Comparative evaluation of specific ELISA and RFFIT antibody assays in the assessment of dog immunity against rabies

“…This situation has led the WHO to initiate a number of programmes aimed at the control of canine rabies by mass vaccination. These programmes have resulted in the control of enzootic dog rabies in many urban areas but have never been effective in eliminating the disease in the majority of these countries [2,3].…”