Mass dog vaccination is the key to protecting the world from rabies, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.
The disease kills more than 50,000 people a year globally and 99% of cases are from dog bites, WHO says.
It warned that 40% of victims of rabid dogs are children under the age of 15 – and 80% of those at risk are in poor, rural areas of Africa and Asia, where treatment is expensive.
WHO says that 70% of dogs in a district need to be vaccinated to protect humans – and that dog vaccines cost just one US dollar per animal.
It also calls for human vaccines and antibody treatments to be made affordable – and efforts to ensure victims of bites get prompt treatment.
WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said: “Rabies is 100% preventable through vaccination and timely immunization after exposure, but access to post bite treatment is expensive and is not affordable in many Asian and African countries.
"If we follow this more comprehensive approach, we can consign rabies to the history books."
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