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Mexico is a leading example of rabies elimination through a One Health approach, making mass dog and cat vaccination a public health responsibility. In 2019 it was declared free of human rabies by WHO.
Goa State in India has reported no human deaths from rabies with a 10-fold reduction in canine rabies. Goa has also been declared a ‘rabies controlled area’; the first geographic zone to earn controlled status of any zoonotic disease.
The Republic of Namibia has achieved a significant reduction in human rabies deaths since 2015 from an average of 26 cases to 0-2 cases annually. Significant progress has also been made in controlling the disease in dogs and livestock.
This article examines the impact of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on rabies control efforts. In this study, researchers found that a range of control measures and health services were impacted, particularly dog vaccination.
On World Rabies Day 2021, India launched a National Action Plan for dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) by 2030, with rabies now declared a notifiable disease.