Frequently Asked Questions on Rabies - new publication
- Community News
Although rabies is one of the oldest diseases known to clinicians and the general public, confusion sometimes exists around the mode of transmission and case management of dog bite victims.
Therefore the WHO Regional Office for South East Asia developed ‘Frequently Asked Questions on Rabies’. This technical document clarifies information for health professionals and the general public, particularly in rabies endemic countries. You can access the document here.
These FAQs are an attempt to provide accepted and evidence-based answers to common questions about the disease.
Although efforts have been made to make the FAQs comprehensive, they are not exhaustive and you may need to consult an infectious disease/rabies expert in situations where your doubts are not addressed.
The FAQs are presented in two sections. The first section provides information for the general public. The second section gives advice to health providers on dealing with wounds from potentially rabid animals, and the administration of anti-rabies vaccines.
In December 2013, I visited the Director of the Health Services in Kabul. He was very happy to see the FAQs as he had been searching for such a document for field level health professionals.
He immediately requested that WHO Afghanistan translate it in to their local language. It is also encouraging that we have received requests to adapt and translate it into other local languages of South Asia.
Other developments in the region
During 2013, WHO, FAO and OIE were involved in many other encouraging developments in rabies control and/or elimination
- in August SAARC country representatives met in Dhaka for an advocacy meeting for the elimination of human rabies transmitted by dogs and to finalize the ‘SAARC Rabies Elimination Project’ which has been submitted to the SAARC Development Fund for consideration
- also in August, a regional meeting on zoonotic diseases in Chiang Mai (Thailand)
- in October, the ASEAN intersectoral workshop on rabies prevention and control in Danang (Vietnam), and
- in November, an Asia-Pacific Workshop on Multisectoral Collaboration for the Prevention and Control of Zoonoses in Kathmandu (Nepal).
Rabies control and/or elimination were discussed among partners and Member countries during these meeting/workshops. There were a number of national and international workshops on dog rabies control and dog population management organized by animal welfare organizations and professional organizations.
The region has also made great progress in the final stages of phasing out nerve tissue vaccine, training in the use of the dRIT for rabies diagnosis and cost-saving ID vaccination techniques to improve accessibility, availability and affordability of modern rabies vaccine, and the promotion of rabies elimination/control as a model for operationalization of the One Health.
Contributed by Dr Gyanendra Gongal, Scientist, Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology, WHO Regional Office for South East Asia, New Delhi