The elimination of human deaths from dog-mediated rabies is entirely possible, yet rabies still kills one person every nine minutes, and almost half of them will be children. Today, rabies is a disease of poverty. The poorest and most marginalised are most at risk, not only from the trauma of dog bite and risk of death but by rabies’ harsh economic consequences, estimated to be over US$ 8.6 billion per year.
Many die due to high treatment costs or lack of access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). If no new action is taken, a million people will die from rabies by 2030.
A global plan for rabies control and elimination was agreed by FAO, the OIE, and WHO in Zero by 30: The Global Strategic Plan to End Human Deaths from Dog-mediated Rabiesby 2030 ( Zero by 30). Key elements include improved access to PEP, especially for the poorest, as well as mass dog vaccination, improved disease reporting, and surveillance tools, and community education and outreach.
