title: Rabies awareness in eight Asian countries.
abstract: Rabies is a deadly zoonotic disease most often transmitted to humans through a dog bite. Human mortality from endemic canine rabies is estimated by WHO to be around 55,000 deaths annually, with over 31,000 deaths in Asia alone, mostly children. Most of these deaths could be prevented through post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), including immediate wound washing, rabies immunoglobulin administration and vaccination. Unfortunately, at-risk populations are not well-informed of the risk of rabies and what to do in the event of an animal bite. In order to identify the main gaps in rabies information and better define the most urgent information actions to be undertaken, the Asian Rabies Expert Bureau (AREB) conducted a multicentre, multi-country survey of patients seeking rabies post-exposure prophylaxis in rabies prevention centres from 1 July 2007 to 31 January 2008, in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Questionnaires were completed for 4377 subjects in the eight countries. Data was collected regarding the patient, former rabies exposures, the present wound, rabies exposure management, and rabies awareness. Two major issues were identified where active information of the population could make a difference: the necessity to apply appropriate wound care and to consult the nearest rabies prevention centre as soon as possible.
authors.affiliation: Dodet Bioscience, Lyon, France. betty.dodet@dodetbioscience.com
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dodet
authors.forename: Amlan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Amila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunasekera
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Guzman
authors.forename: Seemin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jamali
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montalban
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Purba
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quiambao
authors.forename: Naseem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salahuddin
authors.forename: Gadey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sampath
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Terapong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tantawichien
authors.forename: Omala
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wimalaratne
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziauddin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000821:virology*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins