The WHO Rabies Bulletin europe: a key source of information on rabies and a pivotal tool for surveillance and epidemiology

Abstract

Rabies is one of the most, if not the most, prominent and feared zoonotic diseases in the world and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 55,000 people die of the disease every year. Most of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa and are usually the result of dog-mediated rabies. In Europe, the red fox is considered the main reservoir species for wildlife rabies caused by the rabies virus. Besides foxes, bats have also been identified as a reservoir for European bat lyssaviruses in many European countries. Here, the authors present the rabies surveillance data for Europe in recent years, as reported to the WHO Rabies Bulletin Europe. This journal has evolved into a web-based platform for rabies information (including an online accessible database) that on average receives more than 60,000 visitors each year.