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Disease / public health area
Rabies
Rabies is a disease caused by rabies virus (a Lyssavirus). Every year, a small number of cases of rabies is reported in Europe - travel-related or autochthonous.
Publication
Rabies - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2019
For 2019, EU/EEA countries reported five human Lyssavirus infections. Four human cases of travel-related rabies were reported by Italy, Latvia, Spain and Norway with exposure in Tanzania, India, Morocco and the Philippines, respectively. One locally-acquired fatal case of European bat lyssavirus (EBLV-1) infection was reported by France.
News
Eurosurveillance for World Rabies Day – 28 September
Rabies is a deadly disease and endemic in over 100 countries. It causes around 59,000 human deaths annually, the vast majority in Asia and Africa. There are safe and effective human vaccines for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. With a prompt and proper post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), exposed people have a survival rate close to 100%.
Publication
Rabies - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018
For 2018, one case of travel-related rabies with exposure in Morocco was reported by the United Kingdom.
Publication
Rabies - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017
For 2017, one case of travel-related rabies was reported by France with exposure in Sri Lanka.
Prevention of human rabies: A challenge for the European Union and the European Economic Area
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Gossner, C.M., Mailles, A., Aznar, I., Dimina, E., Echevarria, J.E., Feruglio, S.L., Lange, H., Maraglino, F.P., Parodi, P., Perevoscikovs, J., Van der Stede, Y., Bakonyi, T.
Publication
Rabies - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2016
For 2016, no cases of rabies were reported in EU/EEA countries.
News
Fourth travel-related rabies case reported in the EU in 2019
Within one week, Latvia, Spain and Italy each notified a case of imported rabies. Earlier in the year, Norway had reported an additional travel-related case. Travellers to countries where rabies is enzootic should follow basic preventive measures.
Publication
Rabies - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2015
No cases of rabies were reported in 2015.
Data
Rabies - surveillance systems overview, 2014
Overview of surveillance systems for rabies in 2014