Rabies Control

Rabies Control

Rabies is widespread due to the lack of control, especially in third-world countries that obtain the virus usually through being bitten by the animals in the wild. Nevertheless, rabies cases overall has decreased compared to previous years due to increased restrictions that includes vaccinations and laws. This has made countries such as the United States and Great Britain average about only a couple of cases of rabies a year. Unfortunately, rabies will most likely remain as it is impossible to vaccinate every mammal and there are animals that can live successfully with the disease.

“All warm blooded animals are susceptible to rabies; but, according to the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on the disease, not all animals are equally susceptible…dogs are listed as only moderately susceptible; but dogs are without any doubt the animals most likely to spread the infection to human beings.” (Kaplan et al. 1).

In 1938, dogs made up 89.9% of all rabid cases reported in the United States and rabies itself was responsible for the deaths of 47 people that year. However, that number went down after the 1960’s as dogs made up only 3.6% of reported cases and eventually the virus killed about one person a year. This successful shift was due not only to more vaccinations in animals, but strict laws and rules enforced in different countries to exterminate the rabies virus (Baer 3).

One of the earliest laws concerning rabies was actually placed on the Code of Hammurabi, the first laws ever written down in 2100 B.C and said “ If a dog is mad the authorities have brought the fact to the knowledge of its owner; if he does not keep it in, it bites a man and causes his death, then the owner shall pay two thirds of m...

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...mpletely due to the impossibility of vaccinating every single mammal, the containment of it has improves as more people are taking the initiative and responsibility to set rules to reduce the number of animals with rabies even further.

Bibliography

Baer, George M. Report on Rabies: the Current Rabies Situation in the United States-an Overview. Princeton Junction: Veterinary Learning Systems Co., Inc., 1983. 2-6.

Coye, Molly J. Guidelines for the Treatment, Investigation, and Control of Animal Bites. The State of California Health and Welfare Agency Department of Health Services. 1992. 1-71.

Kaplan, Colin, G.S Turner, and D.A Warrell. Rabies: the Facts. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1986. 1-126.

Tierkel, E.S. Rabies. Tokyo: University of Tokyo P, 1971. 3-406.

Webster, Leslie T. Rabies. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1942. 3-168.