Bishkek to mark World Rabies Day

AKIPRESS.COM - The Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Center of Bishkek will hold events on occasion of the World Rabies Day marked on September 28.
1,618 people in Bishkek sought medical assistance this year after they were bitten by animals.
2,263 people, 617 children under 14 years among them, visited medical facilities after being bitten by dogs in 2019.
855 patients were vaccinated against rabies post-bite. 19 were treated in hospitals due to their serious condition.
No rabies were registered in Bishkek.
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal. In up to 99% of cases, domestic dogs are responsible for rabies virus transmission to humans. Yet, rabies can affect both domestic and wild animals. It is spread to people and animals through bites or scratches, usually via saliva.
Rabies is present on all continents, except Antarctica, with over 95% of human deaths occurring in the Asia and Africa regions. Rabies is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases that predominantly affects poor and vulnerable populations who live in remote rural locations. Approximately 80% of human cases occur in rural areas.
Every year, more than 29 million people worldwide receive a post-bite vaccination. This is estimated to prevent hundreds of thousands of rabies deaths annually. Globally, the economic burden of dog-mediated rabies is estimated at US$ 8.6 billion per year.