Tuesday, September 28th, is World Rabies Day. Thousands of people die from rabies every year, primarily in Asia and Africa. The rabies virus is a zoonotic disease; it can be spread among a wide variety of mammals, including skunks, bats, raccoons, foxes, wolves, farm animals, as well as dogs, cats and ferrets – and people.
A century ago in the United States, about 100 people died annually from rabies; in the last fifty years it has been just one or two per year. The reason for the decline seems to be laws requiring us to vaccinate our pets. The danger today comes mostly from skunks and raccoons, although we now have a series of shots that can prevent the infection from taking hold in a person who has been bitten by a rabid animal.
Outside the US, the statistics are not so good. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control says 59,000 people die every year from this preventable disease. Most affected are those in poor rural communities in Africa and Asia, places without accessible medical services or veterinary care. People there do not have access to rabies vaccinations for their animals, or to the post-exposure shots for themselves and their families.
So, while rabies is 100% preventable, and most Americans have little exposure to it and readily available treatment, rabies is still a life-and-death problem for more than 150 countries around the world.
There is growing resistance in this country to vaccines, COVID in particular, but many vaccines in general. You might use social media to share the benefits to us of vaccinating our pets against rabies, and the life-saving rabies treatment available for people who have been bitten by a rabid animal.
World Rabies Day should remind us that when it comes to the deadly rabies virus, it’s up to us to protect our family members, including the furry four-footed ones, when we’re speaking of pets.
