Rabies 2007 : perspective from Asia

Abstract

Rabies remains a public health problem in many parts of the less developed world. Much is known about the virology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, and methods for control but this knowledge is not applied in many countries. Thailand has been on the frontline of efforts to conduct research in rabies for almost a century, starting with Dr. Leopold Robert from the Institute Pasteur of Paris. He was invited by the Thai King in 1913 to develop a research and production facility for rabies vaccine and snake antivenins which later became the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. Thai physicians, scientists and nurses, jointly with some notable expatriate colleagues, were then responsible for major advances in rabies vaccine development, rational application of pre- and postexposure prophylaxis and better understanding of immunology and pathophysiology of this dread disease. They not only discovered new scientific principles but also cost-benefit methods for their application and set the foundation for the work conducted in Thailand during the next two decades. Many concepts developed by Thai scientists have been incorporated into WHO and US-CDC rabies management guidelines. This is an overview of significant developments during the past two decades [1-8].