Unravelling the neuroimmunology of rabies

Rabies is an ancient neuroinvasive viral disease affecting approximately 59,000 people worldwide. The central nervous system (CNS) is targeted, and rabies has a case fatality rate of almost 100% in humans and animals. Despite centuries of study and effective prophylactic vaccines, rabies continues to claim tens of thousands of lives every year, predominantly in developing nations. Beyond its epidemiological significance, rabies remains biologically fascinating because of its unique relationship with the host nervous and immune systems. Recent advances in neuroimmunology are shedding light on this complex interplay, offering new clues to how the virus achieves near‐universal lethality and where future therapeutic opportunities might lie.