Global elimination of rabbies

A new framework to
eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands
of lives each year has been launched today by
WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for
the Control of Rabies (GARC).
The framework calls for 3 key actions - making
human vaccines and antibodies affordable, ensuring
people who get bitten receive prompt treatment, and
mass dog vaccinations to tackle the disease at its
source.
“Rabies is 100% preventable through vaccination
and timely immunization after exposure, but access
to post-bite treatment is expensive and is not
affordable in many Asian and African countries. If
we follow this more comprehensive approach, we
can consign rabies to the history books,” says WHO
Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
Greatest burden of rabies in Asia and Africa
Tens of thousands of people die from rabies each
year and, worldwide, 4 out of every 10 people bitten
by suspected rabid dogs are children aged under 15
years. One person dies every 10 minutes, with the
greatest burden in Asia and Africa.
The cost of human vaccines to protect from rabies
is, however, beyond the reach of many of those who
may need it. And treatment for people who are
bitten can cost US$ 40–50, representing an average
of 40 days of wages in some of the affected
countries. Recognizing that human vaccination is
currently not always affordable, the new framework
emphasizes prevention through vaccinating dogs –
whose bites cause 99% of all human rabies cases.
A dog vaccine costs less than US$ 1.
“Vaccinating 70% of dogs regularly in zones where
rabies is present can reduce human cases to zero.
Eliminating canine rabies through dog vaccination is
the most cost-effective and only long-term
solution,” states OIE Director-General Dr Bernard
Vallat. “Human deaths can be prevented when mass
dog vaccination is combined with responsible pet
ownership and stray dog population management,
both complying with OIE intergovernmental
standards, as well as with bite treatment, as
recommended by WHO.”
Decreasing the cost of human rabies vaccines
Whilst vaccinating dogs will be key in the new
approach, the elimination of rabies – and saving the
lives of those who are bitten – will not be possible
without more widely-available human vaccines.
Currently, about 80% of people exposed to rabies
live in poor, rural areas of Africa and Asia with no
access to prompt treatment should they be bitten.
Bringing treatment closer to victims and providing
wider access to affordable vaccines and potent
rabies immunoglobulins, which neutralize the rabies
virus before it can get a hold in the body, are vital
to achieving zero rabies deaths.
Bringing down the cost of human rabies vaccines
and treatments will require strong international
collaboration to make quality-assured vaccines and
rabies immunoglobulin available to health centres in
regions where rabies is endemic.
As of 2015, WHO and the OIE Vaccine Bank have
delivered more than 15 million doses of canine
rabies vaccines in many countries.
Global elimination of human rabies – The time is
now!
On 10 and 11 December 2015, experts, donors, and
veterinary and public health officials will adopt a
plan of action that is expected to deliver prompt
post-exposure prophylaxis for all in rabies endemic
areas as well as a framework for scaling up
sustained, large-scale dog vaccination. This
milestone international conference will also discuss
a push for coordinated activities targeting dog and
human populations by adapting proven control
strategies.
Another important component is harnessing support
for community awareness and engagement to
facilitate and strengthen data collection, bite
incidence reporting and demand for post-exposure
prophylaxis. Educating children on how to avoid
being bitten is also vital.
The conference “Global elimination of dog-mediated
human rabies – The time is now” is jointly
organized by WHO and the OIE, in collaboration
with FAO with the support of GARC.

This post is from www.who.int