During the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association Congress 2023 in Malaysia, Global Alliance for Rabies Control Director of Programs Dr. Terence Scott said that rabies remains a neglected disease amid limited vaccination coverage worldwide.
“In terms of global estimates for rabies, at least 59,000 die every year because of the disease. That’s about one person every nine minutes,” Scott said. He noted that the statistics could be underreported as at least 101 countries did not report deaths caused by rabies.
Scott, however, warned against the indiscriminate killing of animals in the efforts to address rabies. “There is scientific evidence that indiscriminate killing of dog is not effective in eliminating rabies. In fact, it can worsen the issue because you may be culling animals that have been vaccinated and therefore you are reducing your herd immunity in that population by culling that animals and allowing the vacuum,” he added.
Dr. Jerlyn Sponseller said that the goal of eliminating rabies in humans by 2030 should start by education children on the threat. “We know that close to half of all human deaths occur in children, probably many of these are underreported and it should not be a surprise to anyone that children are proportionately affected by rabies because children like to play with dogs.” She added that there is evidence that children do not tell adults when they are bitten by a dog or scratched by a cat.
“We should make sure children understand that it is very important to wash the wound for 15 minutes with soap and water and make sure that adults can seek medical attention for the child,” she added.
According to Dr. Farina Mustaffa Kamal, Asia is tops in terms of human deaths from rabies, which she attributed to the high number of unvaccinated stray and pet dogs, the unavailability of rabies vaccine in rural regions, misinformation on the significance of seeking treatment after dog bites, and the dog meat trade.
According to Dr. Kam Kok Ten, rabies is completely preventable with holistic programs that focus on dog vaccination, education, and surveillance.
The global strategic goal to end human rabies deaths by 2030 focuses on the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
This is an opportunity for the Philippine government to further protect its people from another preventable disease, where a formula has already been provided. All our officials have to do is follow the recommendations that can be used to eradicate rabies infections and deaths in the country within a reasonable timeframe.*
