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25 May 2010
Indonesia, Bali
Bali's provincial government will consider mass vaccination of cats following the death of a 13-year-old Buleleng girl from rabies following a cat bite. It was the 1st recorded human rabies case involving a cat. She was bitten 3 months ago while trying to separate her pet cat and a stray cat that were fighting and died 10 days ago in Buleleng General Hospital, Singaraja.
The government said at the weekend [22-23 May 2010] the mass cat vaccination programme would be implemented immediately, ahead of results of laboratory tests to confirm rabies. Government spokesman Ketut Teneng said if the tests indicated rabies had spread to cats a culling programme might be implemented along the same lines as that directed at stray dogs. The government still had a target of a rabies-free Bali in 2012.
4 May 2010
Indonesia, Bali
Chronic shortages of post-exposure vaccines continue. Case reporting continues to be erratic. Unofficially, the Bali human rabies death toll is now approaching 80. Officially, about half of the victims died of "encephalitis" rather than rabies.
The Bali Animal Welfare Association is now vaccinating up to 870 dogs per day, averaging more than 500, but still, less than half of the dog population has been vaccinated.
7 April 2010
Angola
The Angolan health authorities reported 4 deaths caused by rabies and a total of 580 bites last week across the country. This was revealed to the press today [7 Apr 2010] by Deputy Health Minister Carlos Alberto Masseca at the end of the meeting of the inter-ministerial committee for Influenza and Rabies.
Carlos Masseca said that the deaths occurred in the provinces of Malanje (2 cases), Kwanza Norte (1 case) and Moxico (1 case), noting that Luanda and Bie are the regions most affected by rabies.
1 April 2010
Israel
Facing a rabies outbreak in the North, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan has reinstated the Agriculture Ministry regulations permitting Parks Authority inspectors to shoot stray dogs found on nature reserves.
29 March 2010
Russia, Nizhny Novgorod
Veterinarians will carry out an unplanned rabies vaccination program in the private sector of Bogorodsky rayon of Nizhny Novgorod oblast, starting 30 Mar 2010. This activity has been triggered by the rabies outbreak in the territory, the regional government says.
The number of animal rabies cases during the 1st quarter of 2010 was 42, compared to 25 during the same period in 2009. Rabid animals had contact with humans in 4 cases and with pets in 11 cases. The planned vaccination activities during the January and February of 2010 included 1932 cattle, 8538 dogs and 5759 cats.
27 March 2010
Russia, Moscow
The epidemic situation for rabies has reached the highest levels of concern in Moscow. There were 257 animal rabies cases last year [2009], more than 10-fold the means of previous years.
Rosselkhoznadzor [the federal service of phytosanitary and veterinary surveillance] considers taking unprecedented measure to control the epidemic, like banning movements of pets to suburban cottages, canceling a show dog exhibition and mass immunization of wild and domestic animals.
25 March 2010
Israel
Northern Israel has experienced an outbreak of rabies since 2009, and it is showing few signs of abating in the near future.
16 cases of the disease have already been discovered in 2010, 9 of them in dogs and most of the rest in wild animals. Already this year, 671 people in the north have been inoculated against the disease.
Last year [2009] saw 58 incidents of [animal] rabies [annual total].
Before 2009, Israel only experienced between 9 and 12 cases of the disease a year.
"The most worrying development is the discovery of the disease among dogs, while in the past most of the cases were found in wild animals," said Dr Yuval Hadani of the Agriculture Ministry's veterinary service.
22 February 2010
Thailand, Bangkok
City Hall is preparing 400 000 doses of the rabies vaccine for dogs and cats in Bangkok to prevent the spread of the disease among animals during the hot season. The move is aimed at allaying public fears after the owner of a pet shop at Chatuchak Weekend Market died from rabies on Sun 14 Feb 2010. The woman was a Public Health Ministry official and owner of the Take Care Pet Shop at the market. She died from rabies after being bitten by one of her dogs.
18 November 2009
Indonesia, Bali
The Molecular Biology Laboratory at the University of Udayana's School of Medicine, located in Bali, has confirmed the rabies outbreak in Bali originated in Indonesia.
17 November 2009
Russia, Moscow
A total of 3 people have been hospitalized in Moscow on suspicion of rabies virus infection after being bitten by a suspected rabid dog.
The 1st case of animal rabies for this year [2009] was recorded recently in north Moscow following the arrival of a rabid dog brought in from the surrounding area.
27 August 2009
Israel, North Eastern Region
Twenty sixlaboratory-confirmed rabies cases have been
reported in Israel since the beginning of 2009, all cases have been from the north eastern region, bordering
Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Cases included 15
dogs, 3 cattle, 2 sheep, 2 foxes, and 2 jackals, 1 wolf, and 1 stone
marten. Nine of the cases have occurred in August [2009] alone. This is a
significant increase compared with the same period in previous years.
During the 1st 8 months of 2006, 6 cases were reported (9 during the whole
year), 5 in 2007 (15 during the whole year), and 4 in 2008 (12 during the
whole year).
13 August 2009
Johannesburg, South Africa
Rabies has been confirmed in a dog in the Linden area. The case is unusual as rabies is uncommon in Johannesburg and the dog had not left the fenced in property for four years.
28 July 2009
Bhutan, Gelephu
An 11 year old girl died from rabies after being bitten by her pet dog. This is the second human rabies fatality in Gelephu in the past 2 months.
13 July 2009
Georgia, USA
The State Laboratory has confirmed that 2 foxes have tested positive for rabies in Lamar County. Health officials are urging residents of the area to stay away from wild or stray animals that appear to be unafraid of humans and those that exhibit behaviors that are unusual of their characters.
All Lamar County residents are encouraged to take precautions to protect their families and pets against rabies by learning signs of rabies and vaccinating pets.
2 July 2009
Moscow Region, Russia
According to RosSelhozNadzor (The Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision), the numbers of stray dogs and cats, the vectors of rabies, have continued to increase throughout the Moscow region.
The number of rabies cases among animals during 2008 was 2.5 times their number during 2007. 80 per cent of the cases involved wildlife, of which the population growth is uncontrolled. The other 20 per cent involved pets.
During the 1st 5 months of 2009, 11 000 persons applied for post-exposure treatment. This is an 11 per cent more than in the same period of 2008.
1 July 2009
Lai Chau, Viet Nam
Northern Lai Chau Province announced a rabies epidemic after 4 people died of the disease. At least 500 people have received post exposure prophylaxis after being bitten by dogs in the last two months.
9 June 2009
Shaanxi, China
In Hanzhong city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, 2 more people have died of rabies bringing the rabies death toll in the city since March [2009] to 11. The 2 fatalities were both women, one aged 58 and the other 56, said a local government official.
The 1st death was reported on 21 Mar [2009], and number of people injured by dog bites in the city has since reached 6256. So far, approximately 335 900 pet dogs have been vaccinated in the city, said the local government official. The city, with more than 370 000 registered dogs, reported 35 deaths of rabies from 1985 to 1992.
Human deaths indicated the rabies virus was very active, posing a great public health threat, Shi Ruihua, local agricultural bureau chief, said earlier this month [June 2009]. The city carried out a rabies prevention campaign from 23 May-1 Jun [2009], implementing door-to-door compulsory vaccinations of dogs and urging dog owners to put their pets on a leash or keep them off the streets.
5 June 2009
Kansas, USA
A horse in Clay County has tested positive for rabies, according to health officials. Owners of the horse and their family are undergoing rabies vaccination as a precaution.
This is the 2nd case of rabies in Clay County so far this year. The 1st was a skunk that tested positive for the virus in March. Since 1 Jan 2009, 38 positive cases of animal rabies have been reported in Kansas. The rabid animals testing positive so far include 30 skunks, 3 dogs, 2 cows, one bobcat, one fox, and one raccoon.
4 June 2009
Uige, Angola
Of 830 people bitten by dogs between January and 4 June 2009, in the city of Uige, 6 have died from rabies.
1 June 2009
Shaanxi, China
Between March 2009 and 1 June 2009, 8 people have died from rabies in Shaanxi Province. The rabies outbreak has spread to 11 counties in Hanzhong City since March.
1 June 2009
Yaroslavl, Russia
The Uglichesky district (left bank) has been placed under quarantine because of rabies. Three foxes were diagnosed with rabies over the past three months. Vaccination of all domestic animals is being carried out in the village and its surroundings and the movement of domestic animals out of the area is forbidden.
24 April 2009
Luanda, Angola
OIE report on rabies in Angola.
Information received on 24/04/2009 from Dr Antonio Jose, Directeur Général des Services Vétérinaires , Services Vétérinaires, Ministère de l'Agriculture, Luanda, Angola.
23 April 2009
Florida, USA
The Hillsborough County Health Department has been notified of 2 separate incidents involving foxes about one half mile apart in the Citrus Park area in north western Hillsborough County.
The 1st incident was a scratch, the 2nd involved a bite with the fox being captured and testing positive for rabies. It cannot be determined if the same fox was involved in both incidents. Individuals who have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal should contact the Hillsborough County Health Department.
23 April 2009
Kampala and Wakiso, Uganda
There has been an increase in the number of animal bites in Kampala and Wakiso districts in Uganda. According to a report by the health ministry, 23 cases of suspected rabies were registered in Kampala and 35 in Wakiso in the 2nd week of April 2009. A total of 290 cases of animal bites were recorded countrywide. The increase in bites has been blamed on overcrowding in these districts.
20 April 2009
Tamil Nadu, India
On Monday 20 Apr 2009, the 1st State Level Co-ordination Committee Exclusively for the Control and Prevention of Rabies was held in Chennai [formerly Madras]. The committee was formed under government order (MS) Number 10 dated 06 Jan 2009 of the Health and Family Welfare (P1) Department following a meeting held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu on 20 Nov 2008.
Yesterday's meeting was held with the director of municipal administration, Dr P Senthil Kumar, IAS, as chairman, and was attended by the directors of public health and preventive medicine; town panchayats; rural development and local administration; medical education; medical and rural health services; animal husbandry; and secretary of the Animal Welfare Board and the undersigned.
Several most interesting facts emerged during the meeting:
1) Tamil Nadu has become the 1st state in India which has asked all local bodies to set up animal birth control anti-rabies (ABC-AR) programmes.
2) All government hospitals in the state now administer the anti-rabies vaccine by the intradermal route, saving over 80 per cent in vaccine costs.
3) Within a few months, all public health centres (PHC) will also follow suit.
4) The Department of Municipal Administration made a detailed presentation on all the steps taken by it to ensure proper implementation of the ABC programme.
5) Most importantly, there has been a steady and steep decline in rabies cases over the last few years in Tamil Nadu as can be seen from the figures
below:
Year / Number of rabies deaths as reported by all PHCs in Tamil Nadu
2004 / 39
2005 / 43
2006 / 51
2007 / 8
2008 / 7
2009 / 0 (till 31 Mar 2009)
The above does not contain any information regarding rabies in urban areas.
17 April 2009
North Carolina, USA
A calf on a farm in Gold Hill has died as a result of exposure to rabies. The diagnosis was made after the calf's owner sent the body of the animal to a lab in Raleigh for a necropsy.
The calf's owner and his wife are undergoing post-exposure rabies shots due to their handling of the calf just prior to its death.
15 April 2009
Energodar City, Ukraine
Basements of apartments in Energodar City are being exterminated for rats and mice. By the end of the month veterinarians should have vaccinated all domestic animals against rabies. The reason for these measures is the result of capture of a rat by taxi drivers. One of the taxi drivers was attacked by a rat that appeared on the street outside an apartment block. The rat was killed and brought for investigation. It was subsequently confirmed that the rat had rabies.
The taxi driver will receive post exposure prophylaxis.
10 April 2009
Georgia, USA
A fox that entered a man's house and bit him has tested positive for rabies. The bite victim is receiving post exposure prophylaxis. The fox is the 6th confirmed case of rabies in Cherokee County in 2009 so far.
9 April 2009
Vermont, USA
Vermont agriculture officials are urging farmers to vaccinate theiir cows for rabies after 5 have tested positive for the disease. The cows were likely infected by a rabid raccoon.
WCAX-TV says it's unclear why rabies cases in cows are increasing.
But one veterinarian suspects farmers may have dropped the vaccine as a cost-cutting measure.
The rabid cows pose a minimal risk to humans. No one has ever contracted rabies from drinking milk but the Centers for Disease Control says people who drink raw milk from a rabid cow are at risk for the disease. Farm workers also are at risk.
31 March 2009
Moscow Region, Russia
Olga Gavrilenko, the senior public health official in the Moscow Region, urged citizens to seek post-exposure vaccination as soon as possible after sustaining a bite and to avoid handling wild animals.
She said that already in 2009, there had been 2 instances of attacks by rabid dogs. In one case, an unvaccinated domestic dog contracted rabies and bit 14 humans in the town and neighborhood of Kikino-Dulevo. In the town of Krasnoarmeysk, a dog bit 10 persons, including 7 children.
25 March 2009
Bali, Indonesia
The 8th victim of rabies in Bali , a 46-year-old man, died on Monday, 23 March 2009. The victim was bitten in November 2008 and was a resident of Pecatu, South Kuta district in Badung district. He was already showing severe clinical symptoms when presented at the hospital.
24 March 2009
Arizona, USA
The state of Arizona is being hit with the biggest outbreak of rabies that it has seen in a while, according to state veterinarian Elisabeth Lawaczeck. So far this year there have been 62 animals confirmed with rabies, according to Lawaczeck.
19 March 2009
Israel
Between 1979 and 2000, foxes constituted the main reservoir of rabies in the Northern regions of Israel. Following the implementation of the fox-targeted oral vaccination programme (ORV) in 1998, rabies was eradicated from this area. Subsequently during 2004-2007, the biological and molecular characterization of the rabies isolates showed that stray dogs emerged as the main animal reservoir in Northern Israel while lower numbers of cases were reported in domestic animals. The virus isolates from foxes and dogs differed, in their molecular characterization, suggesting 2 distinct separate lineages. The transition from fox-mediated rabies to dog-mediated rabies is of great concern to public health because of the close contact between dogs and the human population.
19 March 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam
A new study has detailed how 2 people in Asia contracted rabies after eating dog or cat meat.
A report published in the journal PLoS Medicine, Furious Rabies after an Atypical Exposure, describes how the 2 patients in Hanoi, Viet Nam, died from laboratory-confirmed rabies. Health experts claim their symptoms developed after butchering, preparing, and consuming either a dog or a cat.
The researchers were unable to test the butchered animals for rabies, so could not be entirely certain the animals were the source of the rabies.
However, they caution that butchering of unvaccinated dogs and cats in rabies-endemic countries should be considered a risk factor for rabies transmission.
11 March 2009
Luanda, Angola
One of the most severe rabies epidemics to hit Angola has claimed the lives of at least 93 children within 3 months in the capital, Luanda. These are the only the known cases that have been presented at the hospital; actual numbers could be much higher. The hospital was unable to save any of the children, as it had run out of doses of rabies vaccine; in some instances, the children were brought in too late.
Luanda's large stray dog population has been identified as causing the spread of the disease.
1 March 2009
Grodno, Belarus
A total of 7 laboratory confirmed cases of rabies in wild animals have been reported in the Zelvenskiy district. A dairy farm has been placed in quarantine due to the detection of a calf with rabies.
Zelvenskiy, Volkovysskiy and Svislochskiy dictricts are the most seriously affected territories in the Grodno region. 159 cases of rabies have been reported in Grodno region during the entire year in 2008, compared to 74 cases during the 2 months January-February 2009.
Foxes are the main reservoir of rabies in this region. Their population has grown recently.
23 February 2009
New Mexico, USA
2 bobcats have tested positive for rabies within 5 days of one another. The first attacked a dog in Mimbres on 6 Feb 2009. It was shot dead by the landowner and tested positive for rabies on 11 February 2009. The second was found dead just east of Lake Roberts on 11 Feb 2009 and was confirmed rabies-positive on Thursday 19 Feb 2009. It is thought that the bobcats were most likely infected by rabid foxes.
Kentucky, USA
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is warning people in 2 Fayette County neighborhoods about potential rabid animals.
A horse in the Hamilton Lane/North Yarnallton Pike area and a skunk near Abbeywood Road both tested positive for rabies this week, according to a health department statement released on 11 February 2009. Department officials are working to determine the level, if any, of human exposure.
So far, there have been 5 cases of rabies from Fayette County in 2009. In January 2009, a fox and 2 skunks tested positive for rabies.
22 February 2009
United Arab Emirates ex India
A man being treated for rabies at a local hospital died on Monday 16 Feb 2009, the 1st such death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a decade.
Gulf News reported the labourer from India was admitted to Al Baraha Hospital on 8 Feb 2009 after he started showing symptoms. Dr Ali Shakar, director-general at the Ministry of Health, told Gulf News the man's hand was bitten 6 months ago, prior to his arrival in the UAE.
Virginia, USA
A total of 3 calves from a farm near Linville recently tested positive for rabies, according to the farm's owner. Although no specific animal has been recognized as the carrier, a raccoon was found on the farm that tested positive for the disease. The family that lives on the farm has been treated with a series of rabies shots as a preventive measure. Health officials described the outbreak as an isolated incident.
20 February 2009
Luanda, Angola
The number of children killed from rabies in Luanda rose to 69 on Wednesday [18 Feb 2009], up from 50 last month, prompting authorities to launch a new drive to round up hundreds of stray dogs in Angola's capital city. The Health Ministry said health workers were rounding up hundreds of strays in Luanda to counter the deadly virus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected animal. Almost a 1000 dogs have already been collected since the rabies outbreak began in November [2008]. Those that test positive for rabies are killed; the others are released. "This is a tragedy because despite all the efforts to control the rabies outbreak, things aren't getting any better," Luis Bernardino, the director of Luanda's largest children's hospital, told Reuters.
Children aged between 3 and 10 have been the main victims, as they cannot protect themselves from dogs. Bernardino said the children are usually from poor districts surrounding Luanda's urban core, where thousands of stray dogs roam. Authorities in Luanda carried out a city-wide vaccination campaign last month [January 2009] in which 100 000 animals -- dogs, cats and monkeys -- were inoculated in a city that is home to more than 1/3rd of Angola's 16.5-million-strong population. But this has failed to prevent the rabies death toll among children from climbing in a country that already has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the world. Two out of every 5 children die before reaching the age of 5, according to the United Nations.
8 February 2009
Guanajuato, Mexico
After the outbreak of rabies in cattle that occurred in the town of Xichu, the [Guanajuato] State Ministry of Health implemented a "sanitary fence" to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Ministry of Health denied that there has been spread of the virus from the cattle to humans.
However it was recommended that the population treat animals that died from rabies with extreme caution and they should not consume the meat of these animals.
It was also pointed out that direct contact with the saliva from infected animals can transmit the disease to humans so the public should be careful and take the necessary precautions and hygienic measures.
In the state of Guanajuato almost 875 000 doses of rabies vaccine were administered to dogs, 52 804 animals were killed, 9595 pets were sterilized, and 6643 specimens from dogs were examined.
6 February 2009
Caala, Angola
The Health Department of the Caala municipality, which is located 23 km from the provincial capital, reported 5 cases of people being bitten by rabid dogs that were roaming in the main streets of the city during the month of January.
30 January 2009
Bali, Indonesia
The authorities in Bali are battling a rabies outbreak that has spread across the island and is threatening its tourism industry. The 1st cases were reported in Denpasar and Badung districts last November, but this month it spread to Kuta, one of the main tourist resorts.
Since the beginning of January, the number of infected people has increased from a "handful" a week to at least 10 a day, hospital staff have said. A total of 6 deaths have been reported. More than 24 000 pet dogs have been vaccinated, while more than 1000 strays have been culled.
"It could be that in the past few months there were a number of cases that weren't reported," said Ken Wirasandhi, the director of services at Sanglah, Bali's largest hospital. "We've received calls from tourists asking about the rabies situation, but we haven't received reports of any tourists being bitten by dogs," said Gede Nurjaya, the head of the Bali Tourism Authority.
25 January 2009
Luanda, Angola
An outbreak of rabies in the Angolan capital has resulted in the death of 42 children since October 2008. The Health Services of the Provincial Government of Luanda has not yet provided data on the total number of cases, including adults.
The number of deaths refers to the total number of children admitted to the hospital that were infected with rabies virus. The doctor stated that that the majority of victims are male children, between 4 and 10 years old.
To combat the rabies outbreak, during the past 12 days, the Luanda Provincial Government has implemented a campaign involving mass vaccination of animals and collection of strays.
18 January 2009
Eastern Cape, South Africa
The Eastern Cape Department of Health officials were attending to a suspected rabies outbreak in Mgwenyane village near Libode on Friday 16 Jan 2009, the department said. Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the department had dispatched an outbreak team to the village after at least 8 people were bitten by 2 dogs in the village.
One of the dogs attacked its owner and then bit 5 other people before running away. The other dog bit 2 people and also ran away. The dogs were believed to have fled into a nearby forest. All the people who had been bitten were identified and taken to a nearby hospital where they were being treated for dog bites and receiving anti-rabies medication.
The outbreak team was on the scene informing people to treat all dogs in the area with suspicion. "We are urging those who had been bitten to come forward and be treated with immediate effect," Kupelo said. The suspected outbreak was reported to the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture. The Department was responsible for immunising dogs in the area and would help with further investigations. Kupelo said that the Department only suspected that the dogs suffered from rabies but that further investigation would reveal the facts. The ages of the people bitten ranged from 4 to 66 years old.
16 January 2009
Moscow Region, Russia
An emergency situation has been declared in the Noginsk area of the Moscow region where a fatal case of rabies has been reported. All those who have had contact with the fatal case are under observation.
The deceased patient, a 42 year old man, contracted rabies in August 2008 when he was bitten by a sick fox. He did not immediately seek medical treatment and was admitted to hospital only much later, when his condition had deteriorated. He died on 31 Dec 2008.
18 December 2008
Belgorodskaya Oblast, Russia
Public health officials have confirmed that an elderly woman who was bitten by a cat 1 month ago has tested positive for rabies. People in her village who may have had contact with the ailing cat have been admitted to hospital for examination and are receiving anti-rabies prophylaxis. Veterinarians are vaccinating pet animals.
14 December 2008
Northern Ireland ex abroad
A critically ill woman in Belfast has been confirmed as having rabies. She was bitten by a dog while travelling abroad in an area where rabies is endemic. This is the first documented case of Rabies in Northern Ireland since 1938.
25 December 2008
Goias, Brazil
A 12 year old boy died after contracting rabies when playing with a bat. The bat bit the boy on the foot. Treatment was attempted by inducing a coma but was not successful.
12 December 2008
Vermont, USA
The Vermont State Department of Health says an otter captured after attacking a Guilford, VT, teenager has tested positive for rabies.
11 December 2008
Bali, Indonesia
The Indonesian government has confirmed that there is a rabies outbreak in the Kuta region in Bali. Local media are reporting that several Balinese people showing rabies symptoms have died after being bitten by dogs. Bali had previously been considered rabies-free, but 2 dogs have been confirmed as having the disease.
5 December 2008
Bali, Indonesia
A government order has been made to the Balinese people to conduct a mass culling of stray dogs on the island to help the administration prevent a rabies outbreak.
The order was made in response to 4 deaths believed to be caused by rabies transmitted through dog bites in Ungasan village, Uluwatu.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika stated "The residents can just go ahead by taking the initiative to kill stray dogs. If the mass dog culling relied only on administration officers, it would take too long to get rid of."
3 December 2008
Missouri, USA
a 55 year old man from Southern Missouri has died from rabies six weeks after being bitten by a bat.
20 November 2008
South Carolina, USA
On 3 Nov 2008 a red fox chased and bit a 9 year old boy as well as a neighbour who attempted to help the boy. Both are receiving post exposure prophylaxis against rabies. The normally timid animal was vicious and acting strangely. The animal was caught and removed.
19 November 2008
South Carolina, USA
The Clay County health department has confirmed that a skunk in the Barnard Road area tested positive for rabies. The skunk was caught after it ttacked 2 dogs on 9 Nov 2008. This is the 2nd skunk testing positive for rabies in Clay County this year.
10 November 2008
Maine, USA
There have been two cases of seemingly rabid skunks attacking dogs in the Windsor area.
The bitten dogs are under quarantine but there are concerns of a possible rabies outbreak in the area.
9 November 2008
Flores, Indonesia
An 8 year old pupil living in East Nusa Tenggara died on 4 November 2008 after being bitten in September 2008 by a suspected rabid dog. There have been 135 such fatalities in the province over the past 10 years. Three of the human fatalities have occured this year.
7 November 2008
Georgia, USA
Two cases of rabies have been confirmed in stray cats found in rural Henry County.
A 2-week trapping program has been initiated in the area to capture any other wild cats. Also, letters have been sent to nearby residents alerting them to the confirmed rabies cases.
24 October 2008
Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Italy
The national reference laboratory for rabies in Italy has confirmed a case of rabies in a fox in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region of north-eastern Italy . This fox was euthanized on 10 October 2008 after it attacked a person who was out walking in a forest in Resia district, close to the borders with Austria and Slovenia. The results were positive for 'classical' rabies virus by PCR testing.
Italy has been rabies free since 1995, although rabies has been found in foxes in this area previously, most recently in 1992. In previous cases foxes appear to have crossed the border from Slovenia and Austria, although the risk of rabies in the northern and eastern border regions of Italy has long been recognised. Local routine preventive policies in Italy reflect the ongoing risk across the borders, and include compulsory vaccination of domestic animals and livestock which graze outside in those districts close to the border.
Local controls put in place in response to the present case include vaccination and restriction of movement of dogs in the Chiusaforte, Resiutta, Resia, and Venzone districts, enhanced surveillance of wildlife, and oral vaccination of wild foxes.
28 October 2008
Yunnan Province, China
Officials in a rural county of south-western China's Yunnan province ordered the culling of more than 11 000 dogs after rabies killed 6 people. Of the more than 90 000 dogs in Yunnan's Mi'le county, some 84 000 had been vaccinated against rabies and another 11 500 unprotected dogs were culled. The county government threatened to fine people who failed to hand over their dogs but some locals protested that the policy of culling all unprotected dogs was heavy handed, arguing that people in remote areas relied on guard dogs. Local government officials said the culling was essential to prevent the spread of the rabies virus.
23 October 2008
Bolivar, Colombia
The Bolivar Secretariat of Health and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) said they were taking all measures to prevent the spread of rabies.
The disease was detected in the rural locality of San Cayetano (San Juan Nepomuceno), and adjacent areas, in the Montes de Maria region.
According to the Secretariat of Health , Orlando Paz Canadas, "the confirmation and control of the outbreak took place last weekend, when bovines from 4 farms in the zone, located on the borders of San Cayetano and Mahates, presented symptoms consistent with rabies."
A report by the Interior ministry indicated that the transmission of the sylvan rabies detected was attributed to attacks by the well-known vampire bats.
The secretariat has provided anti-rabies treatment for humans to 6 people who were exposed to infected cattle, and at the same time gave talks on rabies to the community of the affected zone.
The Health Secretary Eduardo Espinosa Faciolince, asked farmers from the areas of endemic bovine sylvan rabies to vaccinate their livestock in a timely manner with the rabies vaccine, in order to avoid transmission of this disease.
19 October 2008
Colorado, USA
Following reports earlier this year of rabid skunks circulating in eastern counties of Colorado, the state lab at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed a rabid skunk in the vicinity of Sloan's Lake in Northwest Denver.
According to epidemiologists at the state health department, this is the 1st rabid skunk found in the metro area since 1976.
9 October 2008
Montana, USA
A dead bat taken to Stevensville Elementary School by a parent has tested positive for rabies. The children were shown the bat and encouraged to touch it.
When school officials were notified, they called county and state health officials, sent letters home with every student who may have been exposed and sent the bat to a laboratory for testing.
School officials are encouraging any child who touched the bat to get a series of rabies shots.
2 October 2008
Texas, USA
An elderly man who fed stray cats in his Oak Hills neighborhood was bitten by a kitten that has tested positive for rabies. This is the the 2nd rabid cat identified in Bexar County this year. The man is receiving post exposure prophylaxis.
27 September 2008
Malawi
More than 1000 people are feared to have contracted rabies after eating beef from an infected cow.
The cow, according to veterinary officials, died early this month after showing rabies symptoms and members of the community were told to dispose of the animal but they instead started selling it.
Mulanje District health officer John Chipolombwe said since last week [week of 15 Sep 2008], about 800 people have received anti rabies vaccine but there are more who have not yet received the vaccine.
22 September 2008
Arizona, USA
Two Queen Creek women are receiving post exposure prophylaxis against rabies after being exposed to a rabid bat. One of the women had found the bat that later tested positive for rabies.
17 September 2008
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Pets in the Eastern Cape will receive free rabies vaccinations following the deaths of 2 people and 7 cattle in Mount Ayliff. A rabies awareness campaign will also be run from schools in the area where children and the community will be educated on the dangers of rabies.
17 September 2008
Voronezhska Oblast, Russia
Two people have died as a result of rabies virus infection in the Povorensk and Podgorensk districts of the Voronezhska Oblast. Neither sought medical attention after being bitten.
15 September 2008
Paso del Cerro, Uraguay
On 7 September 2008 a farmer in Paso del Cerro, Uruguay, was
bitten by a vampire bat. The bat tested positive for rabies and the farmer immediately received post exposure prophylaxis. There is a concern that the bat may be part of a colony in which other bats are also positive for rabies.
27 August 2008
China
A new Chinese study has reported a dramatic spike in rabies infections. The research shows that in some provinces of China the number of human rabies cases has rapidly increased in the new millennium. Vaccination programmes from 1990-1996 kept human rabies mostly under control, but the dramatic increase of cases of human rabies since 2000 are a warning sign for control and prevention.
27 August 2007
USA
The CDC has been notified that the supply of human rabies vaccine is being used at a higher rate than expected, which may affect the near-term availability of vaccine for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Because of limited existing supplies, the CDC strongly recommends that health care providers, state and local public health authorities, animal control officials, and the public take immediate steps to ensure appropriate use of human rabies biologics. Judicious and appropriate use of rabies vaccines is crucial to avert a situation in which persons exposed to rabies are put at increased risk due to depleted vaccine supplies.
23 August 2008
Missouri, USA
A horse that attended the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia has died of rabies. The Missouri Department of Health is notifying people who attended the state fair that the horse, which was stabled and shown at the fair, had the disease.
People directly involved in the care of the horse are being contacted and are being assessed for possible rabies exposure and the need for rabies post-exposure treatment.
21 August 2008
South Carolina, USA
Five Beaufort County residents who came in contact with a stray cat are under the care of a physician after the cat tested positive for rabies. The stray cat had been in the Lady's Island area for some months and was being fed by several people. It became ill and was taken to a veterinarian,where it was euthanized and tested positive for rabies.
9 August 2008
Alaska, USA
Reports of animal rabies, mostly infecting foxes, continued to increase, from an average of 8 cases a year from 2003-2005 to 18 cases in 2006 to 45 cases in 2007. All but one of the rabies cases last year [2007] occurred in coastal regions of northern and southwestern Alaska. Infected animals included 24 red foxes, 17 arctic wolves, 3 dogs and one wolf.
Rabies cases involving Alaska wildlife generally cycle up and down, depending on the rise and fall of wildlife populations, the report noted. The disease is always present in northern and western Alaska.
Most of the rest of Alaska has never had a confirmed case of rabies.
31 July 2008
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Rabies in dogs has been reported from two districts in the Eastern Cape, 2 cases from Ugie in the Ukhahlamba district and 2 from Cumakala in the Chris Hani district.
Vaccination and awareness campaigns are being organised, and human exposures will be followed up.
31 July 2008
Georgia, USA
A puppy originating from the Cherry Log area has tested positive for rabies after it was given to a Murray County resident.
27 July 2008
Colorado, USA
6 Larimer County, Colorado, residents are being treated for rabies, and 5 bats in the county have been confirmed to have the disease, according to the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. Two dogs and a cat have also been quarantined in Fort Collins after possible exposure to rabid bats.
23 July 2008
Jujuy, Northern Argentina
An 8-year-old boy died in northern Argentina after having contracted rabies from a dog bite.
Jujuy province has experienced a rabies outbreak for the past two years, in spite of an intensive mass vaccination of dogs, the outbreak has not been controlled yet.
18 July 2008
Eastern Cape, South Africa
A 15 year old girl died in the Mount Ayliff area in the Eastern Cape of suspected rabies. The girl had previously been bitten by a dog which has also since died.
26 June 2008
New Jersey, USA ex Iraq
One of the 26 dogs and cats flown out of Iraq to rejoin soldiers in the USA has tested positive for rabies. The rabies was diagnosed after the dog was euthanized for other health reasons.
The animals arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport 3 weeks ago. SPCA officials say the organization complied with all customs and health regulations, and that all 26 animals were cleared to enter the USA.
Health officials are recommending revaccination of the remaining dogs and cats. In addition, people who may have had close contact with the affected dog should discuss possible treatment with their doctor. The state Health Department is monitoring the situation.
15 May 2008
USA, South Carolina
24 people are now being treated prophylactically against rabies after being in contact with the baby raccoon that tested positive for rabies. 17 pets belonging to those people are also in quarantine.
12 May 2008
USA, South Carolina
16 people are being treated prophylactically against rabies after a baby raccoon tested positive for the disease. The baby raccoon was found in the woods and was being cared for by several people over the past weeks. This is the first confirmed rabid animal in Beaufort County in 2008. In 2007 no rabid animals were confirmed in the county. There were 162 confirmed cases of rabies in animals in South Carolina. So far this year, there have been 45 confirmed cases in animals in the state.
4 May 2008
Argentina, Beunos Aires
The Ministry of Health of Buenos Aires, Argentina, have reported a case of rabies in a cat, from the Caballito district. This is the 1st case in a terrestrial animal detected in the city in 27 years.
It is reported that the cat was playing with a bat on 15 March 2008. It became sick 2 weeks later, and died on 8 April 2008. The cat tested positive for rabies. While ill the cat bit 4 people who have received post exposure prophylaxis.
Apparently the cat was not vaccinated, as most people don't think rabies is a danger for cats. Sanitary authorities have implemented a wide pet vaccination campaign.
30 April 2008
Belgium, ex Gambia
A female puppy, illegally brought into Belgium from Gambia, has died and tested positive for rabies. The dog first showed symptoms on 16 April and died on 21 April. A risk assessment was carried out and all people and animals in contact with the dog from 1 April have received appropriate treatment.
26 April 2008
England, in quarantine
A puppy, brought into an England from Sri Lanka by a charity organisation, tested positive for rabies while in quarantine. The puppies behaviour changed and it nipped 3 workers. The pup died two days later and tested positive to rabies. The affected people have received post exposure prophylaxis. As the puppy died in quaratine any public health risk has been contained.
19 April 2008
Argentina, Cordoba
A puppy has tested positive for rabies. 7 people who had contact with the puppy are receiving post exposure prophylaxis.An extensive dog and cat vaccination campaign in the community where the animal lived is being carried out.
9 April 2008
USA, Texas
Williamson County Health District has issued a warning to parents. A bat found Monday [7 Apr 2008] at the Twin Lakes YMCA daycare playground has tested positive for rabies. At least 2 children came into contact with the bat. It is suspected that more children were exposed.
USA, New York
A man from Lake George is being given post exposure prophylaxis after being bitten by a rabid gray fox. The fox attacked the man and tried to get into his home as the man entered his back door. The fox was later killed and tested positive for rabies.
USA, Arkansas
A dog belonging to a family in Polk County has tested positive for rabies. The dog became ill and progressively more aggressive, it was euthanased and tested for rabies. The dog was not vaccinated against rabies. It killed a skunk a few weeks previously, this is believed to be the source of the disease. All people that were in contact with the dog are urged to receive post exposure prophylaxis.
USA, Arizona
Pinal County Public Health Services District is issuing an advisory for animal rabies. A bobcat caught and killed at a campground has tested positive for the disease. The bobcat attacked and exposed at least 2 individuals at the campsite. Both individuals are currently receiving a series of shots to prevent contracting the rabies virus.
USA, Georgia
A man in Whitfield County was attacked and bitten by a rabid fox. Whitfield County wasn't included last fall [2007] when vaccine-laden baits were put out in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia to battle the spread of rabies in wild animals.
9 April 2008
South Africa, Eastern Cape
Following the confirmed outbreak of dog rabies in East London (Nahoon and Bonza Bay) the state veterinary services will be conducting a rabies campaign in the area. Owners of all pets are requested to bring their animals to be vaccinated against rabies. Vaccination will be free of charge.
1 April 2008
USA, West Virginia
A Hampshire County cattle farm has been quarantined after two cows tested positive for rabies. A total of 6 people are undergoing rabies treatments as a precaution, although none showed any signs of the disease. 3 animals recently died on the farm but the 1st one was not tested for rabies.None of the 85 animals left in the herd will be allowed off the farm until the risk can be adequately assessed.
25 March 2008
USA, California ex Mexico
A 16 year old boy has died of rabies after being admitted to a Californian hospital. It is believed that the boy contracted the disease in Mexico, as he had not been in the United States long enough to have had the disease take its course. The source of infection is unknown but it is thought that boy was probably bitten by a rabid dog. The boys 8 housemates have been contacted and are being treated prophylactically against rabies. Officials are still on the lookout for the boy's traveling companion, who is believed to be in either Santa Barbara or Ventura counties.
25 March 2008
USA, Texas
The 20th case of rabies in Fannin County, Texas, since August 2007 has been confirmed. A dead skunk found near a campground has tested positive for the virus. Two campers had been in contact with the skunk, the skunk bit the shoe of one camper, post exposure prophylaxis has been advised.
The countywide total of confirmed rabid wild animals in Fannin County since last August now includes 16 raccoons, two foxes, a skunk and a bat.
24 March 2008
USA, New Mexico
State officials have warned of a possible rabies outbreak amongst the fox population in Grant County New Mexico after 2 incidents:
- 17 March - a sick looking fox hissed at a dog that was out walking with its owner. The fox was caught and killed and tested positive for rabies
- 18 March - a woman out walking was attacked and bitten by a fox. The fox ran away and has not been captured but the woman is receiving post exposure prophylaxis
March 2008
Publication on the Eurosurveillance website
Identification of a rabid dog in France illegally introduced from Morocco, Euro Surveillance 2008;13(11).
10 March 2008
USA, Arizona
A rabid mountain lion attacked a 10 year old boy north of Phoenix on 8 Mar 2008. The lion was then shot and killed.
The boy and several others who may have been exposed to the cat will undergo preventative rabies treatment over the next few weeks.
7 March 2008
USA, Tennessee, West-Virginia
Officials with the Sullivan County Regional Health Department are asking all pet owners to make sure their pets are current on rabies vaccinations after a raccoon recovered in the Bluff City area tested positive for rabies.
France
Following the diagnosis of rabies in a dog on the outskirts of Paris in February, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is advising that any person who had significant exposure to dogs in these 3 regions of France (see below) in recent weeks should seek prompt medical assessment to determine whether post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is required.
- Gers (Auch city and surroundings), from 1 Nov 2007
- Grandpuits, Seine-et-Marne (approx 30 miles SE of Paris) from 15 Dec 2007
- Calvados (Lisieux city and Thury Harcourt village and their surroundings), from 15 Dec 2007.
25 February 2008
Russia, Ukraine
- Republic of Alta
Laboratory tests have confirmed that several cattle that died in 2 separate villages have died of rabies. - Chelyabinsk region
Rabies is suspected in a 45 year old woman that died after being bitten by a fox. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed. - Chelyabinsk Oblast
Rabies statistics are increasing in the region. In 2007 there were 142 laboratory confirmed cases reported in 101 settlements. Rabies is spreading in foxes, but dogs, cats, and farm animals are also involved. A total of 16 000 people suffered animal bites during the past year, and 3000 of them received vaccination against rabies. 300 to 500 people had to be admitted to hospitals for medical care.
Officials have declared that the most radical and effective way of prevention is the culling of wild carnivores in their natural habitats and the rounding up and destruction of stray dogs and cats. Domestic and farm animals are also to be vaccinated and revaccinated by the Oblast veterinary service. - Donetsk Oblast
A 10 year old girl who was admitted at the beginning of February 2008 to a hospital in Ugledar in the Donetsk Oblast with a diagnosis of rabies died on 11 Feb 2008. The cat from which she is believed to have contracted the infection was a stray and has not been located.
14 February 2008
Indonesia, Flores
2 people have died of rabies after being bitten by dogs. Rabies was introduced onto this small Indonesia island in 1998. Culling of dogs was previously implemented but has not been effective in eradicating the disease.
2 February 2008
Brazil, Ceara
A 14 year old boy died of rabies. The boy had previously been bitten by a tamarin monkey.
24 January 2008
Ukraine
A 26 year old man dies from rabies in Kharkov, Ukraine. The man had been bitten by his own dog three months previously. It is believed that the dog contracted rabies from a sick fox, the dog became ill and was euthanised. The dog had supposedly been vaccinated against rabies and was not tested for rabies. People and animals that were in contact with the dog and man are being vaccinated against rabies.
23 January 2008
Canada
Public health officials say they might have a possible rabies crisis
on their hands after a border collie puppy died from rabies at the
Toronto Humane Society last week. The dog was one of about a dozen pups sold from a booth at a local market. The mother of the pups was traced to a farm near Perth. The mother contracted rabies and died after killing a rabid skunk.
18 January 2008
China
The ministries of Health and Agriculture have issued a a regulation that all dogs in China are required to be vaccinated against rabies. Owners who refuse to get their dogs vaccinated will face "serious punishment," while legal action will be taken against owners whose dogs cause the spread of the disease.
In 2007 there were 3380 reported rabies fatalities in humans in China. Less than 10% of the dog population is currently vaccinated against rabies.
4 January 2008
USA
Public health response to a rabid kitten, 2007 - Four States
On 24 Jul 2007 the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) was notified by the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH) of a stray, rabid kitten that had been handled by players on several girls' softball teams during a tournament in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The kitten had been euthanased after falling ill and subsequently tested positive for rabies.
Exposed persons were identified through cooperation among the states and CDC, which included daily conference calls and e-mail exchanges among investigators in the affected states; CDC participated in conference calls to provide additional expertise. In this investigation, rapid, open, interstate collaboration enabled the expeditious identification and prophylactic treatment of exposed persons while preventing unnecessary administration of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). No cases of rabies transmitted to humans from the kitten were reported and no cases of PEP reactions were reported.
4 January 2008
Manitoba, Canada
A rabies public health warning has been issued in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. There seems to be an outbreak of the disease in the skunk popultaion. The public has been advised to beware of skunks that are behaving abnormally and to ensure that their pets under control and vaccinated against rabies.
December 2007
The Netherlands ex Kenya
Fatal case of human rabies (Duvenhage virus) from a bat in Kenya
See the Eurosurveillance website
31 December 2007
Republic of Equatorial Guinea
A 5-year-old boy has been diagnosed with rabies. The boy was bitten in his neck by a stray dog and 5 weeks later began to show symptoms of rabies. He received treatment against tetanus but no rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.
3 November 2007
USA, AK
A wolf killed in the Yukon River village of Marshall last week has tested positive for rabies. Officials are recommending that all unvaccinated dogs that were exposed to the wolves be euthanized. The wolf was part of a pack that killed 6 sled dogs before Marshall residents drove them out of town.
29 October 2007
Belgium ex Morocco
A labrador cross dog, imported from Morocco and living with a family in Southern Brussels , was destroyed after showing rabies symptoms. Further laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis of rabies. A 2nd dog which lived in the same house was also destroyed and tests are pending.
The family involved have all been tested and vaccinated against rabies and the food agency and other authorities are seeking to contact anyone who may have come in contact with the dog.
12 September 2007
USA
At the Inaugural World Rabies Day Symposium the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) announced that the US has been declared free of canine rabies. Canine rabies elimination was achieved through implementation of dog vaccination and licensing, and stray dog control.
Despite the elimination of canine rabies, the disease remains a human threat in the USA particularly from bats. Rabies also remains a potential threat through spillover infections from wildlife to domestic animals adaptation to new animal reservoirs, movement of potentially infected animals, and lack of adequate vaccination coverage of domestic animals, particularly cats and dogs.
12 September 2007
South Africa
40 human rabies fatalities have been reported since 2006. Most cases reported are from Limpopo Province or Kwazulu-Natal.
31 cases of rabies were reported in 2006 of which 21 were from the Limpopo province. So far in 2007 9 cases have been reported of which one was from Zambia. Usually most cases are seen in Kwazulu-Natal, since 1986 there have been between 6 and 32 cases per year in this province.
10 September 2007
Vietnam
In the first 8 months of 2007 81 people have died of rabies. Most of the victims were from the northern provinces of Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Ha Tay and Yen Bai.
8 September 2007
Pune, India
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6 August 2007
Azerbaijan
Specimens collected from animals in the village of Gardashobain in the Khachmaz region after attacks by jackals have tested positive for rabies. No cases of attacks on villagers have been recorded.
Previously, some cases of attacks have been reported in the village of Gardashoba, which is surrounded by forests, when 4 children and an old man were attacked by jackals. All have received appropriate post-exposure treatment. Khanveli said that all cattle and other livestock in the village have been immunized now against rabies.
During the past few days, one child had died as a result of rabies virus infection in the village of Neftchala. Post exposure treatment was not sought after the child was bitten.
18 June 2007
Russia, Udmurtia
Since the beginning of 2007, 56 cases of rabies have been recorded in animals in Udmertia. The last recorded case was a few days ago in a fox. A week ago 5 people were bitten by a rabid stray dog. All are receiving post exposure prophylaxis.
Ukraine, Donetsk
An epidemic of rabies is evolving in the Donetsk region. Rabies was detected among domestic and wild animals in 59 places. According to veterinarians, rabies is present in animals in 16 areas in the region, including Donetsk city.
13 June 2007
China
It was reported that rabies killed 201 people in China in May 2007. Rabies is top of the list of deadly infectious diseases in the country.
11 June 2007
British Columbia, Canada
Rabies has been confirmed in a domestic cat in the Lower Mainland city. The cat was brought into the vet with neurological symptoms. Blood tests were positive for rabies. 21 people who were in contact with the cat are receiving post exposure prophylaxis. It is suspected that the cat was bitten by a bat.
2 May 2007
USA, New York
Rabies has been confirmed in a raccoon found on Camel Hollow Beach, Lloyd Harbor, Suffolk County on 25 Apr 2007.
This is Suffolk County's 12th case of terrestrial animal rabies since March 2006 and the 7th of this calendar year. To date, rabid raccoons have been recovered from Huntington (2), Lloyd Harbor (9), and Cold Spring Harbor (1).
Since the advent of raccoon rabies in Nassau County, Suffolk County has been working with federal, state, county and local officials to develop a plan for the control of the disease. In September 2006, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services began an oral rabies vaccine program in the western region of the county.This was complemented by similar efforts in Nassau County. A 2nd phase of the program is planned for late spring. The goal of this program is to vaccinate terrestrial wildlife against rabies in order to prevent further spread on Long Island.
20 April 2007
Germany, Hamburg ex Morocco
A 55 year old man has been diagnosed with rabies in Hamburg, Germany. 6 weeks ago his dog was involved in a fight with a stray dog in Morocco, the man was bitten when separating the fighting dogs.
Medical consultation was sought directly after the injury, but no vaccination was initiated. The 15-year-old dog was euthanased by a veterinarian 4 weeks later as it could not stand up.
Rabies was 1st suspected in the beginning of this week by a local hospital, which the patient consulted for fever and paresthesia. On admission in Hamburg, RT-PCR for rabies virus nucleocapsid RNA in 2 different saliva samples and one corneal swab was positive.
The patient received active and passive post exposure vaccination in the local hospital on Tuesday [17 Apr 2007]. Deep sedation with ketamine and midazolam was initiated on Thursday [19 Apr 2007].
Amantadine but no other antiviral drugs have been given.
05 March 2007
Canada, Alberta
A 73 year old man contracted rabies after being bitten on the shoulder by a bat.
25 February 2007
Indonesia: fatal case of rabies in Ruteng (Flore)
2 children (15 and 3 years old) have died of rabies in the regional public hospital, Ruteng. The three year old was bitten on the lower lip by a dog and was admitted in a very critical condition. The source of infection for the other child is not clear.
23 February 2007
Increase in rabies cases in animals in Belarus
There has been an increase in the number of rabies cases in animals in Belarus, in 1996 27 cases were recorded, with peaks in 2003
(1077 cases) and 2006 (1628 cases). In comparison, a decade earlier (1988-1995), only sporadic cases of rabies in animals were registered.
Although most cases of rabies in Belarus are found in foxes, raccoon dogs are increasingly affected. In 2001a control program was implemented, oral vaccination of wild animals, vaccination of pets and capture of stray dogs and cats. Rabies cases dropped in 2004 but peaked again in the following 2 years.
The number of people requesting post exposure rabies treatment has however remained the same. No human deaths were reported in 2004 and 2005 but in 2006 two rabies related deaths were recorded.
21 February
Rabies human feline, Bulgaria
A woman and 4 neighbours have been admitted to hospital in the Bulgarian town of Novi Iskar. The woman was bitten by her cat who tested positive for rabies on postmortal examination. The town is under high alert. Authorities have already stocked a large quantity of anti-rabies vaccine, fearing more cases.
20 February 2007
Russia - Multistate
- Southern Urals, Kizilskiy district - Cow bitten by a rabid fox.All people that were in contact with the cow are being treated prophylactically.
- Outbreak of rabies in cattle registered in the Dakhadevsky district of Dagestan.
- 7 cases of rabies among animals recorded for the week in the Rostov region. The animals were a fox, wolf, cow and several vagrant dogs.
Belarus
According to the Republican center of hygiene, epidemiology and public health, 91 cases of rabies in animals were registered during January 2007, in Belarus. Among them, 9 cases were recorded in the Brest region, 22 in the Vitebsk region, 18 in the Gomel region, 11 in the Grodno region, 12 in the Minsk region, 19 in the Mogilyov region.
No case was recorded during January [2007] in the capital Minsk.
12 February 2007
South Africa - Horse dies of rabies in Western Cape
A yearling has died of rabies in the Somerset West, Stellenbosch area. This is the first case of rabies recorded in the Western Cape in 17 years. It is believed to be an isolated incident and that the horse was bitten by a rabid carrier, possibly a bat-eared fox. A vaccination campaign has been launched within a 3km radius of the farm.
5 February 2007
China - 1st rabies case of 2007 reported in Beijing
A man has died from rabies after being bitten by a stray puppy at the beginning of January 2007.
February 2007
Columbia - 4 people die of rabies
4 people have died of rabies during December 2006 and January 2007 in Santa Marta Columbia. The people were bitten by rabid dogs during September 2006.
24 January 2007
Peru - 11 children die from Rabies transmitted by vampire bats
Eleven children from native communities in the Northern Peruvian Amazon Jungle died from rabies, after they were bitten by vampire bats. Attacks by vampire bats led some villagers to leave their homes in Condorcanqui Province, near the Ecuadorian border.
2 outbreaks occurred in different places, one between last September and November [2006], in which 3 children died, and another one last November [2006], in which 8 children died. The total number of people bitten was 1101.
Peruvian authorities have assured villagers that the outbreak is under control.
23 January 2007
Angola -
21 reported cases of rabid dog bites
Since December 2006, 21 cases of people bitten by rabid dogs of whom 1 has died have been reported. This is according to health authorities of Ukuma township, situated 92 km from the town Huambo.Residents have been asked to keep their dogs tied up; stray dogs will be destroyed.
December 2006
Kenya - Rabies in donkeys and stray dogs
Residents in the Isiolo district are being urged to bring dogs and donkeys for rabies vaccination. It is feared that the high number of stray dogs in the area and high incidence of reported dog bites may lead to a rabies outbreak.
December 2006
China - Rabies heads fatal disease list in November
Rabies killed more people in China than any other infectious disease for
the 6th consecutive month in November 2006. There were 270 reported deaths caused by rabies in November out of 743 deaths due to infectious disease on the Chinese
mainland, 354 people were
reportedly bitten by rabid animals.
Rabies has topped the list of the most deadly infectious disease in China since June 2006.
China ranks 2nd in the world after India in the number of reported cases of human rabies, sources said. Every year, more than 50 000 people around the world die of the disease, most of them from developing countries.
November 2006
USA (West Virginia), Rabies in raccoons
Oral vaccination has been used to control rabies in raccoons in West Virginia. Baits containing vaccine are dropped from planes over problem areas. It is believed that raccoon rabies was introduced into West Virginia in 1977 when raccoons were introduced into the area from Florida by hunters attempting to stock up the area.
03 November 2006
Indiana, USA
A 10-year-old girl who was being treated for the first confirmed case
of rabies in Indiana since 1959 has died. She was hospitalized in early October 2006 after being
bitten in June by a rabid bat.More than 30
relatives, friends and classmates of the girl were offered injections
to prevent the spread of the disease.
02 October 2006
China, Beijing
China's Ministry of Health reported a total of 1874 rabies cases
in China during the first 8 months of this year, with 1735 deaths. The
figure is up 29.2% on last year.
The cases were found in 21 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across China including Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Hubei.
The ministry said that China ranks second in the world after India in terms of the number of rabies cases. Every year more than 50 000 people around the world die of the disease, with most of them living in developing countries.
21 September 2006
Osh, Kyrgyzstan
2 year old baby dies from rabies after being bitten by a dog. Human rabies cases in Kyrgyzstan are common as a
consequence of lack of comprehensive vaccination of domestic animals
and pets and the abundance of stray animals.
12 September 2006
Swaziland, Southern Africa
Officials have warned about a rabies outbreak in the Nhlangano and surrounding areas. Already 7 dogs
were found to have been infected.
7 August 2006
China, Jining - Shandong province
Officials have ordered a mass indiscriminate culling of all dogs within a three mile radius of a rabies outbreak.
The cull is an attempt to control the disease which has claimed 16 human lives already this year.
The indiscriminate slaughter of dogs has been condemmed as unecessary by animal rights activists as the disease can be controlled by vaccination and adequate surveillance measures.
Serbia Montenegro
19 June 2006
Rabid foxes are being found in areas that have been rabies-free for
decades. 15 rabid foxes have been identified over the course of a year.
Texas,USA
15 May 2006
A 16 year old school boy dies from rabies in Humble, Texas. It is believed that the boy contracted the disease from a bat that entered his bedroom several weeks ago.
Kerala state, Southern India
27 April 2006
Two men aged 20 and 30 have died from rabies in Kerala state. Both men were reportedly bitten by owned pet dogs.
Rabies cases in New Hampshire, USA
10 April 2006
Five cases of rabies have already been confirmed this year in New Hampshire. A fox, two raccoons and two skunks. Pet owners have been urged to vaccinate their animals.
Increase in Rabies cases in North Carolina
05 April 2006
Veterinarians and animal control officers say they are seeing an increase in the number of rabies cases in Halifax County.
In the past 2 weeks, 4 animals in the county have been diagnosed with the deadly disease -- the same number diagnosed in the entire state in 2005. The animals include 3 raccoons and one dog.
Officials believe that the problem is partly due to pet owners not vaccinating their animals against rabies.
18 Rabies deaths in 1 week, North East India
27 March 2006
18 people from the state of Manipur in North East India have died of Rabies over the course of a week. The problem is said to be partially due to the shortage of Rabies vaccines.
Man dies of Rabies, Eastern Cape, South Africa
1 March 2006
A 42 year old man has died of rabies after being bitten by a dog in mid February. Villagers in the area claim that many other dogs are affected.
Woman dies of Rabies, Beijing, China
26 February 2006
A 37 year old woman died of rabies in Beijing 14 February 2006. The woman was bitten by her puppy that was not immunised on 10 January 2006.
Maryland, USA - Increase in rabies incidence
16 December 2005
A raccoon that attacked a 61 year old woman in Dickeyville has tested positive for rabies. This is the 10th raccoon and 18th animal found with rabies in the city in 2005. In 2004, there were only 2, according to the city Health Department.
Reported animal bites, too, are up sharply in the city. Most involve dogs and cats, which are supposed to be vaccinated against rabies. But bites by raccoons and bats are also up, from 68 in 2004 to 100 in 2005. Some of the increase might be the result of increased reporting and vigilance by the public.
Ukraine: 2nd rabies victim in Kirovograd Region
13 December 2005
A 53 year old woman died of rabies in Novoukrainckiy district, Kirovograd region.
This is the 2nd fatal case of rabies to have been reported in the region since the beginning of September 2005. At the end of October 2005, a 64 year old man died of rabies after he was bitten by a feral cat.
Mexico - Rabies in dogs in 2005
In 2005 91 dogs were confirmed to have rabies in in the
valley between Cuautitlan and Ecatepec in Mexico state.
The problem is caused by a large population of unvaccinated street dogs as well as fraudulent health personnel claiming to adminster rabies vaccines to dogs.
Brazil - Vampire Bat Rabies Outbreak in Maranhao State
2 November 2005
23 people, including 18 children and teenagers, have been killed in a human rabies outbreak in northeast Brazil in the past 2 months. According to the Health Ministry, the disease is transmitted to humans by vampire bats.
In many parts of the world wild-life rabies has been controlled by oral vaccination.
Kyrgyzstan - Rabies outbreak in Naykatsk District
1 August 2005
A dog from the village of Talas (Naykatsk district) was confirmed as having rabies on 21 July 2005. Epidemiological studies revealed that 6 people in the village of Talas, 8 people in the village of On Eki Bel and 17 people in the village of Bel Kairagach had been bitten. In addition, another 25 people had been in contact with the dog. All of these people, bite victims and exposed persons, were prescribed a course of anti-rabies vaccine. During the period 20 to 23 Jul 2005, a total of 88 dogs, 203 head of cattle, 112 dogs and 16 cats were vaccinated.
Russia - Child Dies from Rabies
28 July 2005
An 8-year-old girl died of rabies in the city of Goose-Khrustalniy in the Vladimir region. [Over a 2-month period] 200 people have received medical treatment in hospitals in the city of Goose-Khrustalniy due to animal bites. A rabies quarantine has been declared in 4 areas of the city, and 30 more areas are [at risk]. A similar situation pertains in other towns of the Vladimir region (Murom, Alexandrov, Petushki, Kirzhach and Yuriev-Polskiy).
www.promed.org
22 July 2005
UK - death of woman bitten by rabid dog in Goa
A woman who was bitten by a dog during her holiday in Goa has died from rabies. The woman, from Bury, Greater Manchester, contracted the viral infection after she was bitten by a stray animal on 9 Apr 2005. The 39 year old shop assistant fell ill when she returned to England and died in hospital.
19 July 2005
China - death of 2 boys sparks rabies vaccine investigation
A major investigation is under way following the deaths of 2 boys who received rabies inoculations in Guandong Province. Both deaths occurred less than 2 weeks apart in Guangdong's Wengyuan County, and now the Food and Drug Administration is looking into the batch of vaccine concerned.
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