The Effectiveness of the Rabies Control Program in Brazil Could Be an Example for Countries on the African Continent and Asia
Thursday, June 12, 2025
15:45 - 16:15 GMT
Presenter(s)
HB
Helena Batista
Instituto Pasteur, Brazil
Poster Abstract: Rabies is a viral disease that affects all mammals, including humans. This zoonosis caused by Lyssavius rabies (RABV) is fatal and data reveals that it causes 60,000 deads wordwide each year. Dogs bites are responsible for the majority of these cases and occour mainly in countries on the African continent and Asia. Vaccination against rabies in dogs, combined with actions in the field of health education for the population are proven to be the best ways to reduce rabies in animals and humans. In Brazil a rabies control program was implemented in 1973 with differentactions in different regions of the country. The program includes a mass vaccination of dogs, control of the population of dogs without owners (street dogs) and health education. The success of the program can be seen in the reduction in the number of rabies cases in dogs and humans. In 2002, 635 cases of rabies were recorded in dogs and in 2023, 9 cases were recorded. On the other hand in humans there were 28 cases of rabies in 1986 and no cases have been recorded this year (september 2024). These data show the effectiveness of the rabies control program in Brazil that could be implemented in other regions including countries in Africa and Asia. It is concluded that constant surveillance and the implementation of well-strutured control programs could be an effective tool to eliminate rabies transmitted by dogs and save many human lives around the world.
Poster presentation co-authored with: Acácio Sidinei Santos, Federal University at ABC
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