DHAKA: Around 59,000 people die every year from rabies transmitted by dogs, with the poorer regions of the world worst affected.

A report by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control said this.

The report authors said more should be done to vaccinate dogs, particularly in low-income countries.

Vaccines for bite victims should also be more affordable and more widely available in these areas, reports the BBC.

Rabies is a fatal viral infection which is almost 100 percent preventable.

The infection can infect all mammals, but domestic dogs cause more than 99 percent of all human deaths from rabies, the report said.

Most developed countries, including the UK, have eliminated rabies from their dog populations.

But in many developing countries, rabies is still present in domestic dogs and is often poorly controlled.

The report estimated that around 160 people die every day from the disease, with the vast majority of these occurring in Asia, which accounts for 60 percent of deaths, and Africa (36 percent).

On its own, India accounts for 35 percent of human rabies deaths, more than any other country.

The report said that the proportion of dogs vaccinated in almost all countries in Africa and Asia is far below that necessary to control the disease.

BDST: 1721 HRS, APR 17, 2015
BD