Abstract:
Rabies, a vaccine preventable neglected tropical disease, still claims an estimated
35,000–60,000 human lives annually. The international community, with more than 100
endemic countries, has set a global target of 0 human deaths from dog-transmitted
rabies by 2030. While it has been proven in several countries and regions that elimination
of rabies as a public health problem is feasible and tools are available, rabies deaths
globally have not yet been prevented effectively. While there has been extensive rabies
research, specific areas of implementation for control and elimination have not been
sufficiently addressed. This article highlights some of the commonest perceived barriers
for countries to implementing rabies control and elimination programs and discusses
possible solutions for sociopolitical, organizational, technical, and resource-linked
requirements, following the pillars of the global framework for the elimination of dogmediated
human rabies adopted at the global rabies meeting in December 2015.
