The World Health Organization has officially recognized Bhutan for eliminating dog-transmitted human rabies as a public health problem — in time for World Rabies Day on Sept. 28.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Bhutan is the first country in the Southeast Asia region, and the second to be named globally after Mexico, to achieve this validation.
Nearly 99% of all human rabies cases globally are caused by the bite or scratch of an infected dog. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
On Sept. 4, the WHO confirmed that Bhutan has recorded zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies since June 2023 and has demonstrated that it has the resources and systems in place to prevent the disease’s re-emergence.
Bhutan’s achievement comes as organizations including the WHO, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) mark World Rabies Day with the theme of “Stronger Together”, advancing a global goal to eliminate human rabies deaths worldwide by 2030 under the “Zero by 30” initiative.
To eradicate rabies, Bhutan has persistently invested in a comprehensive “One Health” approach, which recognizes that animal, human and environmental health are interconnected, the WHO said in a press release.
A 2021 Royal Decree by the King of Bhutan launched the Nationwide Accelerated Dog Population Mangement and Rabies Control Programme, implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
WHO said field health teams and veterinarians supported by civilian volunteers achieved 100% sterilization coverage of the country’s free-roaming dog population. They also vaccinated more than 90% of free-roaming dogs against rabies, exceeding the 70% threshold recommended by the WHO to break transmission chains.
Additionally, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment, given after exposure to rabies to prevent the virus from reaching the central nervous system and causing death, is universally free across all of Bhutan’s 20 districts. It is funded by the Bhutan Health Trust Fund.
“I congratulate Bhutan on this historic achievement, which is another step towards our goal to end human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, the WHO press release. “Bhutan’s success shows that the health of humans, animals and the environment we share is inextricably linked.”
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said in a statement that WHO validation is a major milestone, but not the end of the journey. “Continued vigilance will be essential to maintain surveillance, sustain high vaccination coverage, strengthen wildlife rabies surveillance, enhance cross-border collaboration and ensure long-term financing for rabies prevention and control activities,” it added.
On Sept. 14, the WHO announced that Chile had also been validated for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies — the first South American country to do so, having recorded no human cases since 1972.
Banner image: A dog in Nobding village in Wangdue Phodrang district in Bhutan. Image courtesy of Gerd Eichmann via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
