Veterinarian Blog

One person EVERY 10 Minutes Dies From Rabies!

by Dr. Chris

November 24, 2008 Did you know that around the world about one person dies every ten minutes from rabies, which is an easily preventable disease? In the United States the numbers are much better though.

In the United States only one to three people die each year and about 45,000 others require rabies prophylaxis after possible exposure.

I know it may seem tedious to some pet owners to keep their dogs vaccinated for rabies, but it is an absolute must.

One recent case of rabies you may have heard of involved a puppy that was brought here from Iraq.

The primary threat of rabies to you and your dogs are unvaccinated dogs, raccoons, bats, and other wild animals.

Recently there was a newly signed agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, called the North American Rabies Management Plan.

Cooperation between these countries has already eliminated rabies from coyotes in southern Texas.

This helped allow the United States to announce in 2007 that canine rabies (the global strain that can be transferred from dog to dog) has been eliminated in the United States.

Currently there are lots of rabies control programs in the United States focused on oral vaccination of wild gray foxes, coyotes, and raccoons.

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