Rabies Day Special: Bridging the Gap between Science and Safety

In the twenty-first century, rabies remains one of the most feared and serious hazards to public health. Untreated sickness manifests as a progressive encephalomyelitis that is always fatal and is caused by neurotropic viruses of the genus lyssa virus. Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease that affects much of the world, with many human deaths happening in Africa and Asia in children under the age of 15. Rabies is thought to be under-reported in many areas, owing to a lack of surveillance and laboratory infrastructure, which is exacerbated by cultural or societal stigmas. In the absence of good data on disease incidence, policymakers and public health experts tend to prioritize rabies less. A more complete worldwide estimate has been provided by updating and adding country-specific data from published research and online surveys to estimates of the burden that were previously based on models of the incidence of dog bites. Based on preliminary statistics, it is estimated that rabies causes approximately 60,000 deaths worldwide each year, more than any other zoonotic disease combined. Due of the high proportion of children among these deaths, rabies is thought to result in more than 2 million DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) lost annually, at a cost to the economy of more than $4 billion. Estimates of statistical life values have been utilized by other models to forecast the economic impact of rabies. These figures range from $1·8 to $2·2 million per human fatality; however, these figures do not account for livestock losses, post-exposure therapies, or the expense of immunization and diagnostic testing. It is estimated that the annual global expenses associated with canine rabies alone amount to tens of billions of dollars.