Rabies Prevention in Asia: Institutionalizing Implementation Capacities

Rabies in Asia and Africa contributes to over 99% of human rabies deaths that occur in the world today. The vast majority or 60% of these deaths are in Asia. Practically, more than four billion people in Asia or about 60% of the world’s population are at risk of getting rabies where an estimated 96% of documented human cases are from an infected dog bite. Canine-mediated rabies is one of the few communicable diseases that can possibly be eliminated by currently available vaccines and tools for veterinary and public health interventions. With a more comprehensive and integrated approach, it is expected that dog rabies will be eliminated in target areas, and there will be an eventual decline and disappearance of human rabies cases. The burden of rabies is primarily on human health but the disease control has to be focused on the animal source. The ultimate goal of a truly regional disease program is to control and eliminate dog-mediated rabies and protect and maintain rabies-free areas in Asia. Current regional efforts aim to strengthen the intercountry coordination, and technical and institutional capacities to manage dog rabies elimination programs. The regional and national implementation efforts provide strategic direction and cooperation to ensure successful implementation of rabies control measures and eventual elimination. The focus areas include human rabies prevention through pre- and postexposure prophylaxis, mass dog vaccination, surveillance and epidemiology, laboratory diagnostic capability, public awareness and risk communication, legislation, dog population management, and establishment and protection of rabies-free zones/areas. Existing mechanisms for implementation, when applied, give emphasis on One Health collaborations.