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The first records of rabies appear around 2300 BC and the disease has long been associated with domestic dogs. Today, it remains a significant public health risk to around 75% of the world’s population, occurring in around 150 countries.
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.
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 first records of rabies appear around 2300 BC and the disease has long been associated with domestic dogs. Today, it remains a significant public health risk to around 75% of the world’s population, occurring in around 150 countries.