Lancet study: 70% dog vaccination could end rabies in Keralam
A fresh study in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia reveals that comprehensive vaccination of dogs, combined with improved post-bite treatment and efforts to close gaps in PEP, could reduce rabies deaths by 83%.
Scaling up vaccination of both owned and free-roaming dogs to 70% coverage could potentially bring human rabies deaths down to zero in Keralam within three years.
Compared to this, giving children routine rabies shots (PrEP) would only save about 10 extra lives over 10 years, but cost millions more.
Keralam researchers urge 95% post-bite care
Researchers from Keralam say most rabies cases come from dog bites, so vaccinating dogs is key.
They also recommend making post-bite treatment easier to get, from raising the proportion of bite victims who seek medical care from 70% up to 95%, which could prevent more than 1,100 additional deaths.
The team suggests a "One Health" plan where local authorities and NGOs work together for lasting results.