World Rabies Day Travel Insurance |
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Page 1 of 3 World Rabies Day – Working Together to make Rabies History
Rabies is arguably the most deadly, and yet is also one of the most preventable diseases affecting human kind. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that at least 55,000 people die every year due to the rabies infection. This figure is generally assumed to be an underestimate as many of the regions affected most drastically by rabies are the regions least likely to report accurate figures.
Over 90% of all rabies deaths occur in Africa and Asia. 30 to 50% of these occur in children less than 15 years of age as a result of bites from infected dogs. All of these deaths are preventable through prompt and proper wound care and administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (vaccination and rabies immunoglobulin) as stated by the WHO guidelines. Exposure to the original infection is another important method of managing outbreaks. As most cases affecting humans are caused by dog associated wounds, elimination of dog-associated strains through population management and vaccination has proved effective in reducing the number of human cases occurring. Despite the fact that rabies in dog and human populations is relatively easy to prevent in many regions of the world it remains a low priority.
It is easy to be complacent about the fact that vaccines save lives, but the death from rabies of a 39-year old holidaymaker from Manchester in 2005 should serve as a reminder of the danger of animal bites abroad,
- Rabies is entirely preventable through vaccination.
- Rabies kills at least 55,000 people annually, or one person every minutes.
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