Spain is at high risk due to the rabies epidemic. low dog vaccination rateAccording to the rabies Epidemiological Study conducted by MSD Animal Health in collaboration with the Institute of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases (YNMUN Biomedicine Group) and the Animal Health Department of the University of Córdoba.
Every 28 September Rabies Fight Day A worldwide initiative created and coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise public awareness of this deadly zoonosis and the importance of vaccination. prevent it.
And this disease Affects over 150 countries According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), it causes about 60,000 deaths per year. The World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) recommends that at least 70 percent of dogs in risk areas be vaccinated to reduce human cases to zero.
Rabies, which has a 99 percent mortality rate in humans once the disease has emerged, is considered a re-emerging disease worldwide due to the emergence of new variants of the virus. increase the number of reservoirs.
“Viruses know no borders. An immunization percentage below 70 percent is not only a risk to the autonomous community that decides not to vaccinate, it also has an equally significant impact on the immunity of the population. (herd immunity) “From the rest of the country,” said Fernando Farinas, co-author of the Rabies Epidemiological Study, director of the Institute of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases (Ynmun Biomedicine Group), and international coordinator of ZEIG (Group of Experts in Zoonoses and Emerging Infections).
WHO recommended on 25 July 1996 that under no circumstances should Spain stop vaccinating dogs and cats. However, over the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 The frequency of dog vaccination against rabies has been very low, with a vaccine coverage of 11.49 percent, 11.80 percent and 11.51 percent, respectively.
Localized cases occur sporadically in the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and in the opinion of experts, the geographic proximity to areas where rabies is endemic and the movement of unvaccinated animals in contact with dogs from these areas explain the appearance of these cases. . Also, the arrival of pets in 2022 with refugees from Ukraine, a country where rabies is endemic, has alarmed organizations such as the Barcelona Official College of Veterinarians (COVB).
In Spain, it is the autonomous communities that decide. rabies vaccine strategy It is compulsory in all countries except Galicia, the Basque Country and Catalonia. In the case of Asturias, vaccination is mandatory only for potentially dangerous dogs.