160 people die of rabies every day, says major new study

GARC’s Partners for Rabies Prevention group, has just published a study that found that 160 people die every single day from canine rabies.  The report is the product of a long collaboration among PRP members to gather all relevant data that can be used to address the question of how big an impact canine rabies has across the world. It is the first study to consider the impact in terms of deaths and the economic costs of rabies across all countries. Even though the disease is preventable, the concluded that around 59,000 people die every year of rabies transmitted by dogs.

The multi-author study also shows that annual economic losses because of the disease are around 8.6 billion US dollars, mostly due to premature deaths, but also because of spending on human vaccines, lost income for victims of animal bites and other costs. This ground-breaking study is an essential step towards improved control and eventual elimination of rabies. An understanding of the actual burden helps us determine and advocate for the resources needed to tackle this fatal disease.

The study finds that overwhelmingly the greatest risk of canine rabies is in the poorest countries; the death rate (deaths / 100,000 people) is highest in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while India has the highest number of fatalities of any country, with over 20,000 human deaths annually.

By quantifying the extent of rabies control efforts, the study can also serve as a snapshot of rabies control efforts around the world. It shows that the proportion of dogs vaccinated is far below that necessary to control the disease across almost all countries of Africa and Asia, and that over 29 million people are given post exposure vaccines each year. The breadth of data used in this study, from surveillance reports to epidemiological study data to global vaccine sales figures, is far greater than ever analysed before, allowing this more detailed output.

According to the report, this One Health approach to eliminating rabies deaths, with collaboration between the human and animal health sectors, can save many lives and significantly reduce the burden on vulnerable economies. Indeed, the countries that have invested most in dog vaccination are the ones where human deaths from the disease have been virtually eliminated. The study also emphasises that reporting systems are fundamental to rabies elimination, to monitor and assess the success of prevention efforts.

No one should die of rabies and GARC and its partners will continue to work together using a One Health approach towards global rabies elimination.

By Louis Nel, executive director of GARC. The paper “Estimating the Burden of Endemic Canine Rabies” has been published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and can be accessed here.