Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
04:10
A Trap-Vaccinate-Release Protocol for Immunization of Skunks and Additional Rabies Vectors Against Rabies
Published on: November 29, 2024
972
Two Decades of Human Rabies in Brazil: Epidemiological Trends, Emerging Risks and Treatment Challenges.
Raquel Gomes Catozo1, Cesar Martin Leyva Molina2, Amanda Lopes da Silva1
1Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Laboratório de Virologia, São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical
|August 6, 2025
Summary
Human rabies in Brazil has shifted from dogs to bats, posing new public health challenges. Despite vaccination, bat-transmitted rabies remains a significant threat, necessitating improved surveillance and accessible post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Rabies remains a significant public health concern in Brazil.
- Canine rabies transmission has decreased due to vaccination programs.
- Emerging risks from wildlife reservoirs, particularly bats, are a growing concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in human rabies cases in Brazil from 2001 to 2025.
- To identify changes in transmission sources and affected populations.
- To evaluate challenges in rabies prevention and treatment, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of human rabies cases using surveillance data, literature, and public health reports.
- Focus on transmission sources, demographic shifts, and PEP effectiveness.
- Data spans from 2001 to 2025.
Main Results:
- 188 human rabies cases reported (average 7.52/year), concentrated in northern/northeastern Brazil.
- Bats emerged as the primary transmission source, followed by dogs and non-human primates.
- Most cases were fatal; PEP administration was often delayed or incomplete, limiting effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- The shift to bat-mediated rabies requires enhanced surveillance and targeted prevention.
- Ensuring accessible post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is crucial.
- Strengthening public health interventions in high-risk areas is vital for rabies control in Brazil.
More Related Videos
10:26Author Spotlight: A Cost-Effective Genomic Workflow for Advancing Rabies Control in Resource-Limited Settings
Published on: August 18, 2023
5.5K
07:40Field Postmortem Rabies Rapid Immunochromatographic Diagnostic Test for Resource-Limited Settings with Further Molecular Applications
Published on: June 29, 2020
13.7K
Related Concept Videos
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
01:28Rabies
Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...
01:28Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
01:25Arboviral Encephalitis
Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...