Rabies in Malaysia: A Review on the Effectiveness of Prevention and Control Strategy through One Health Approach
Rabies is a fatal viral zoonotic disease which has been recognized as one of the highest lethality rate amongst infectious diseases that is responsible for approximately 59,000 deaths every year. In Malaysia, rabies has been reported to cause 32 human deaths in the recent rabies outbreak in Sarawak,...
Saved in:
| Published in: | International journal of infectious diseases Vol. 116; p. S106 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
01-03-2022
Elsevier |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Rabies is a fatal viral zoonotic disease which has been recognized as one of the highest lethality rate amongst infectious diseases that is responsible for approximately 59,000 deaths every year. In Malaysia, rabies has been reported to cause 32 human deaths in the recent rabies outbreak in Sarawak, Malaysia. The survival rate among rabies victims is 4%, making it a major public concern. The One Health approach, which emphasizes on effective participation and collaboration between multiple disciplines, have successfully shown to reduce the incidence of rabies cases in many countries all over the world including Malaysia. The aim of this study is to highlight the prevention and control strategies of rabies cases through One Health approach that has been implemented in Malaysia.
This review article used data that was retrieved from the national surveillance system. Relevant articles were systematically searched from multiple databases such as PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar by using a broad search terms.
In response to the recent outbreak of Rabies in Sarawak, Malaysia had successfully mass vaccinated a total of 202,700 dogs which is more than 90% of dog population across the state. Effective early post-rabies management had saved two rabies victims from rabies-related death. Other rabies control measures that were carried out includes mandatory rabies notification, continuous active surveillance, annual dog licensing, mass awareness program and movement control regulation. A total of 32 Immune Belt Enforcement Teams (IBET) was formed to keep 978 villages from stray dogs. These strategies have been supported by sufficient legislation at local and national level in Malaysia that would significantly help to control the spread of the disease.
The One Health strategy not only as the most effective way to eliminate rabies, but also demonstrated as a cost-saving strategy. The One Health approach in rabies case prevention may realize the mission of the Global Strategic Plan by World Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies death by the year 2030. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1201-9712 1878-3511 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.250 |