On World Rabies Day, celebrated this Saturday (28), the Ministry of Health reported that it intends to immunize 28 million dogs and cats in all units of the Federation. The number includes routine vaccination, outbreak blocking and immunization through a campaign in the 22 states and the Federal District.
In a note, the ministry detailed that the proposal is to eliminate dog-mediated rabies, ensuring the protection of both the population and pets, a strategy considered fundamental for preventing outbreaks of the disease. The country has not recorded human cases of rabies mediated by dogs since 2015.
Doses
This year, the ministry reported having distributed 1,355,260 doses of the human rabies vaccine to states and municipalities. As of September 12, 669,578 of them had been applied.
As for the vaccination campaign against canine and feline rabies, to date, 23,802,350 doses have been distributed.
History
According to the ministry, over recent years, the predominance of human cases in Brazil, classified as sporadic and accidental, is related to the sylvatic cycle of rabies, where transmission occurs mainly through bats, marmosets and foxes.
“Annual campaigns in areas of greatest risk and focus blocks have proven to be an instrument for controlling canine and feline rabies, achieving a significant reduction in cases of human rabies transmitted by these animals, with the last human case mediated by dogs registered eight years ago. ”
Data from the folder show that, between 1999 and 2024, Brazil went from 1,200 cases of canine rabies to just ten cases, all with variants from wild animals.
Illness
Rabies is a serious acute viral infectious disease that affects mammals, including humans. It is considered extremely important for public health, since the lethality rate is close to 100%, in addition to being a disease that can be eliminated in the urban cycle and the existence of efficient prevention measures, such as human and animal vaccination, provision of human anti-rabies serum and carrying out focus blocks.
Rabies is transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, mainly through bites, but also through scratching and licking by these animals. The incubation period varies between species, from days to years, with an average of 45 days in humans, and may be shorter in children.
The incubation period is related to the location, extent and depth of biting, scratching, licking; the proximity of the virus entry point to the brain and nerve trunks; and the concentration of inoculated viral particles and viral strain.
After the incubation period, signs and symptoms appear that last, on average, two to ten days. During this period, the patient presents: general malaise; small increase in temperature; anorexia; headache; nausea; sore throat; numbness; irritability; restlessness; and feeling of anguish.
In dogs and cats, virus elimination through saliva occurs two to five days before the appearance of clinical signs and persists throughout the course of the disease (transmissibility period). The animal’s death occurs, on average, between five and seven days after symptoms appear.
It is not known for sure how long the virus is transmissible in wild animals. However, it is known that bats can carry the virus for long periods, without apparent symptoms, and are currently the main animal that transmits rabies to the population, especially in remote locations.
