Rabies

Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of infected mammals, most often dogs in regions where canine rabies has not been eliminated through vaccination. The disease has one of the highest case-fatality rates of any infection once clinical symptoms appear, but timely post-exposure treatment after a bite or scratch is nearly 100% effective at preventing illness. Most human deaths occur in parts of Africa and Asia where access to post-exposure treatment is limited and dog vaccination coverage remains incomplete. Virus Tracker presents available regional context to support awareness of exposure risk.

The virus is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, typically via a bite, though scratches or licks on broken skin or mucous membranes can also transmit it. Dogs cause the large majority of human cases globally, though bats, raccoons, foxes, and other mammals can also transmit rabies.

Early symptoms include fever, tingling or pain at the wound site, and general weakness, progressing to anxiety, confusion, agitation, and eventually paralysis and coma. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal, which is why treatment before symptom onset is critical.

Prompt wound washing with soap and water and post-exposure prophylaxis, which includes vaccine doses and sometimes rabies immunoglobulin, prevents illness if given soon after exposure. Vaccinating dogs at the community level is the most effective way to reduce human rabies deaths at the population level. Pre-exposure vaccination is recommended for people at occupational or travel-related risk.

Surveillance combines animal bite reporting, laboratory confirmation in suspected animal and human cases, and tracking of dog vaccination coverage. Because rabies is nearly always fatal once symptomatic, most public health effort focuses on preventing exposure and ensuring access to post-exposure treatment.

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