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Date Published: 29/09/2022

ARCHIVED - Spain placed at high risk for rabies virus

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The annual vaccination rate for pets against rabies in Spain is well below 70%

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Spain placed at high risk for rabies virus

For most people living in Europe, rabies probably seems like a disease from the distant past but in fact, it’s still rampant in many parts of the world, affecting more than 150 countries and, according to WHO data, killing one person every nine minutes.

Spain is officially rabies free, and it’s compulsory to vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets against the virus each year in all but four regions. However, the recent Epidemiological Study carried out by MSD Animal Health has placed this country at high risk of suffering an outbreak for three key reasons:

Spain neighbours several countries where rabies is endemic, and there are often localised cases in Ceuta and Melilla, the autonomous cities which border Morocco.
Rabies is still active in Ukraine, and Spain has welcomed many refugees along with their pets, although they have to be vaccinated before they arrive.
Spain has a very poor vaccination rate for rabies, so any reported incident would be very worrying.

This last point is a stickler for many animal activists and health groups. Even in communities where rabies vaccinations are mandatory, like Valencia, the rate doesn’t even reach 60% of pets. And if a dog contracts rabies, it’s usually deadly.

Doctor Fernando Fariñas, immunologist and co-author of the study, specifies that:

"An immunisation percentage of less than 70 per cent is not only a risk for the autonomous community that decides not to vaccinate, but also has an equally notable influence on population immunity (herd immunity) in the rest of the country."

The WHO aims to eradicate this disease before 2030, and Spain has been a rabies-free country since 1978. But so far this year, five imported and very isolated cases have been detected in Melilla.

99% of cases of rabies in humans are transmitted by dogs. It spreads through the saliva of an infected animal and usually occurs with a bite, but if a person has a cut or a deep scratch, even licking can infect them.

Thankfully, rabies is highly treatable in humans and can be cured by an intense course of prophylaxis. However, it is almost always fatal if left untreated.

Image: Pixabay

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