Current threat of rabies in Europe and in the world

Abstract

Rabies still remains one of the most serious diseases of mankind and poses a serious worldwide public health problem. The introduction of dog vaccination as well as oral vaccination of wildlife in many countries has proved to be an effective method of eradication of rabies in non-flying animals. As a result of these actions many countries have been freed from rabies. However, the illegal movement of pet animals poses a serious risk of reintroducing the virus into the rabies-free area. Although, the prevalence of rabies in humans in Europe is relatively low, half of the world's population lives in endemic areas. A number of international organisations are working together on a global framework for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies.