Retrospective study of extensive vaccination programs for canine rabies control and public health in Korea

This retrospective study of the patterns and efforts of the extensive vaccination programs for canine rabies control (EVPCRC) compared the prevalence rate (PR) of rabies under two different vaccination programs for dogs in Korea between 1962 and 2007. A total of 753 cases of rabid dogs were reported between 1962 and 2007, and there were 350 human cases reported in the same period. There were 518 cases (PR, 4.11) of rabid dogs reported from 1962 to 1979, when the low-egg-passage Flury strain vaccine was used, and a total of 342 human cases were observed over the same period. However, there were 235 rabid dogs (PR, 0.83) identified from 1980 to 2007 when the Evelyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth strain vaccine was used, and only 8 human cases of rabies were observed during the same period. The prevalence of rabies in dogs during the two periods was significantly different (P < 0.01). Moreover, the year with the largest outbreak, 1975, contained 91 cases, and the PR value was 6.3. In 1963, for humans, there were 103 cases, and the PR value was 0.4. However, in recent years, raccoon dogs have increased as a reservoir of rabies in the mountain areas linking North Korea with South Korea near the demilitarized zone, reflecting areas with poor EVPCRC.