Rabies prophylaxis

In humans, rabies still is a fatally evolving encephalomyelitis caused by a Rhabdovirus of the genus Lyssavirus. In general, the disease is contracted through a contact with an infected mammal. Taxonomically, different rabies and closely related rabies-like viruses can be distinguished. New molecular identification techniques can be utilized as epidemiological tools to study the geographic distribution and presence in different reservoirs of the viruses. Antigenic diversity and new insights in the mechanisms of the immune response can have serious implication in vaccine strategies. Virus detection for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes can be done by immunofluorescency, by inoculating murine neuroblastoma cells and by using molecular techniques. Rabies is a zoonosis with a worldwide distribution. In Belgium, the epizootic is present in the Southern part of the country. Fox vaccination campaigns contributed significantly to the eradication of the virus from its natural reservoir. The importance of the prophylactic and therapeutic use of the vaccine, the control of wildlife animal reservoir and stringent public health measures to combat rabies is discussed. Due to stringent control measures, no endogenous case of human rabies have been reported since 1922 in Belgium.