RABIES: a neglected disease that perpetuates poverty.

 RABIES: a neglected disease that perpetuates poverty.

Rabies is recognized as one of 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by the World Health Organization.

Although rabies is found on every continent, except Antarctica and some islands, it is well controlled or even eliminated in most developed countries. Today over 95% of human victims are from Africa and Asia, most from marginalized and impoverished rural communities. 

 Rabies is a preventable disease that overwhelmingly afflicts the poor, both in terms of its death toll and the associated financial burden. Annual economic losses because of the disease are around 8.6 billion US dollars, mostly due to premature deaths, but also because of spending on human vaccines, lost income for victims of animal bites, and other costs. 

 With a survival rate of less than 0.1%, those exposed to the virus face a stark choice: go in search of a series of vaccines and immunoglobulin that prevent the onset of the disease (post-exposure prophylaxis, PEP) or die. In some cases, PEP costs more than the monthly household income, and families are known to either go into debt to pay for PEP, or sell livestock on which they depend for income; both are options that negatively affect families’ future prospects. Rabies can destroy families literally (through death), emotionally, and financially – making it a truly horrific disease.

   Rabies survivor !!!