WHO position — rabies: dog vaccination prevents human disease
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) "Rabies" fact sheet (who.int), first-hand, pulled 2026-07-23. This topic captures WHO's global position on rabies as a zoonosis and the role of dog vaccination in preventing human cases. Companion-animal relevance: veterinary/consumer rabies vaccination programs are the upstream intervention that protects both dogs and people.
Key WHO statements (verbatim)
- Rabies is a serious public health problem in over 150 countries and territories, mainly in Asia and Africa.
- It is a viral, zoonotic, neglected tropical disease that causes tens of thousands of deaths annually, with 40% being children under 15.
- Dog bites and scratches cause 99% of the human rabies cases, and can be prevented through dog vaccination and bite prevention.
- Once the virus infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms appear, rabies is fatal in 100% of cases.
- PEP consists of thorough wound washing, administration of a course of human rabies vaccine and, when indicated, rabies immunoglobulins (RIG).
- Over 29 million people worldwide receive human rabies vaccine annually.
- In the Americas, where dog-mediated rabies is mostly controlled, hematophagous (blood-feeding) bats are now the primary source of human rabies.
- average estimated cost of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
Source text: pdf-raw/vaccine-guidelines/who_rabies_fact_sheet.html (WHO "Rabies" fact sheet, who.int, pulled 2026-07-23).