Fatal cases of animal-mediated human rabies : looking beyond sectoral prism to One Health

Abstract

This issue of Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine has published a case report. This report detailed an atypical fatal case of fox-mediated human rabies. It once again reemphasized the importance of zoonotic disease transmission by animals (including wildlife), and a need to look introspectively in order to consider innovative solutions aimed at reducing the burden of zoonoses. Rabies continues to significantly impact human lives, particularly in the Asian and Africa regions where fatal dogmediated rabies in humans accounts for 96% of total rabiesassociated global death annually (> 59 000). In the current case, a fox (Vulpes vulpes) had attacked a man in a farm area in Qom, Iran, inflicting injuries in the head and palms. The patient only sought wound dressing without the necessary follow-up postexposure prophylaxis. Ultimately, death supervene despite all effort at late recovery. This brings to focus the importance of targeted but intense community awareness campaign on rabies and other zoonoses, especially with regards to preventive and mitigation measures that can reduce zoonotic burdens in atrisk communities. Such activities have been tested with positive outcomes in Moshi, Tanzania and elsewhere.