Daijiworld Media Network - Santiago

Santiago, Sep 15: Chile has become the first country in South America to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies in humans, following more than five decades of sustained prevention and surveillance efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The WHO said the last reported case of rabies transmitted from a dog to a human in Chile occurred in 1972.

“This validation reflects decades of commitment to protecting communities from rabies and demonstrates the impact of sustained investment in public health,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Chile’s success offers valuable lessons for countries working to end human deaths caused by this preventable disease,” he added.

Rabies is a viral disease that spreads through the saliva of an infected animal, most commonly through a bite. The virus can also infect people if infected saliva comes into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease is almost always fatal once symptoms begin to appear. However, rabies deaths can be prevented through vaccination, effective surveillance and timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis.

Chile has maintained a long-standing public health policy focused on preventing and monitoring rabies. Its efforts have included extensive vaccination campaigns for dogs and other pets, as well as vaccination for people who may have been exposed to the virus.

The WHO said these measures were supported by door-to-door dog vaccination campaigns, specific measures to manage the dog population and community awareness and education programmes.

Celebrating the milestone in Santiago, Chilean Health Minister May Chomali praised the joint efforts of health authorities, municipalities and communities that helped achieve the result.

“The public policy on rabies eradication has yielded the results we desired as a community and as a country,” Chomali said.

She highlighted the role of local communities and municipalities, saying they were responsible for implementing education, vaccination and pet-control measures on the ground.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Jarbas Barbosa also congratulated Chile, saying the country had demonstrated what could be achieved when governments invest consistently in vaccination, surveillance and access to medical care.

Human cases of dog-transmitted rabies in the Americas have declined by more than 98% since 1983, with only a small number of cases now reported each year.

However, rabies remains a major global public health concern. The WHO estimates that the disease kills nearly 60,000 people worldwide every year, with most human infections resulting from bites by infected dogs.

Chile’s achievement therefore marks a significant milestone in efforts to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies and demonstrates the impact of sustained vaccination, surveillance and community-based prevention programmes.