About this Research Topic

Background

Rabies is a dreadful and ancient disease affecting all warm-blooded animals, including humans. Human cases, especially those in young children in low- and middle-income countries, are primarily due to transmission of rabies virus by carnivores. In Africa and Asia, dogs are responsible for more than 90% of the human cases. To combat the disease, the 'United Against Rabies' consortium launched the “Zero by 30” program in 2018. The consortium consists of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control. The program entails engagement and collaboration among various sectors, leveraging existing expertise and tools, and employing country-centric approaches to enable nations to achieve zero dog-mediated rabies cases by the year 2030.

Rabies virus circulates in carnivores, and humans are dead-end hosts. Vaccination of dogs, especially free-roaming dogs that are in close contact with humans, is a crucial aspect of controlling rabies transmission to humans. Despite the availability of highly effective vaccines, controlling and eliminating rabies has been challenging. A major reason is the low coverage of mass dog vaccination in urban and peri-urban areas, as well as the lack of such programs in rural settings. Introducing oral bait vaccines for free-roaming dogs could help address this issue. Additional challenges include wild carnivores acting as reservoirs of the virus and the lack of knowledge and awareness among the general public about measures they can take to impede virus transmission. Furthermore, understanding the environmental aspects of rabies virus transmission is often neglected. For example, managing garbage as a food source is an approach that needs attention.

In terms of the pathogen itself, deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of rabies is required. Additionally, further studies are needed on how immunization works to control transmission, particularly through herd immunity, and on the limitations of vaccines, such as the need for multiple doses and potential methods to obviate this.

Despite these issues, rabies has been largely controlled in many parts of the world, and progress in other areas is encouraging. The ambition of eliminating dog-mediated rabies in humans by 2030 can be achieved through comprehensive vaccination programs, monitoring, prompt reporting, surveillance, awareness and education initiatives, and the implementation of action plans. These efforts require ongoing research, development, and extension activities.

Ultimately, the elimination of rabies requires a combined effort from multiple stakeholders beyond just medical and veterinary professionals. Achieving coordination between the various sectors involved in public health interventions and education to address both animal and human health together is therefore critically needed. This coordinated effort from grassroots to the policy level exemplifies a One Health approach. This collection highlights efforts to tackle rabies on various fronts.

In this collection, we are looking for articles which contribute towards the control and elimination of rabies. The various topics could include:

a. Genomics and evolution of the rabies virus with special emphasis on phylogeography or virus movement
b. Next generation vaccines, particularly for wild carnivores and feral dogs
c. Diagnostics or studies focused on monitoring the effectiveness of immunization or surveillance
programs
d. Inter-sectoral efforts in containing or controlling spread of rabies
e. Beyond rabies: epidemiology or surveillance of other lyssaviruses
f. Initiatives in control of rabies in free roaming dogs using oral rabies vaccines - success stories
g. Comparative evaluation of in-house / local vis-a-vis imported diagnostics - cost effectiveness and
application
h. Networking, Capacity building and the outcome in diagnosis and control of rabies
i. Rabies in livestock and its impact on rural economy
j. Rabies in bats and its impact
k. Successes in control of dog-mediated rabies in endemic countries

The articles could be original articles, perspectives, reviews or commentaries

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Rabies, Dog-mediated, Control, Elimination, One Health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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