title: Successful strategies implemented towards the elimination of canine rabies in the Western Hemisphere.
abstract: Almost all cases of human rabies result from dog bites, making the elimination of canine rabies a global priority. During recent decades, many countries in the Western Hemisphere have carried out large-scale dog vaccination campaigns, controlled their free-ranging dog populations and enforced legislation for responsible pet ownership. This article reviews progress in eliminating canine rabies from the Western Hemisphere. After briefly summarizing the history of control efforts and describing the approaches listed above, we note that programs in some countries have been hindered by societal attitudes and severe economic disparities, which underlines the need to discuss measures that will be required to complete the elimination of canine rabies throughout the region. We also note that there is a constant threat for dog-maintained epizootics to re-occur, so as long as dog-maintained rabies "hot spots" are still present, free-roaming dog populations remain large, herd immunity becomes low and dog-derived rabies lyssavirus (RABLV) variants continue to circulate in close proximity to rabies-naïve dog populations. The elimination of dog-maintained rabies will be only feasible if both dog-maintained and dog-derived RABLV lineages and variants are permanently eliminated. This may be possible by keeping dog herd immunity above 70% at all times, fostering sustained laboratory-based surveillance through reliable rabies diagnosis and RABLV genetic typing in dogs, domestic animals and wildlife, as well as continuing to educate the population on the risk of rabies transmission, prevention and responsible pet ownership. Complete elimination of canine rabies requires permanent funding, with governments and people committed to make it a reality. An accompanying article reviews the history and epidemiology of canine rabies in the Western Hemisphere, beginning with its introduction during the period of European colonization, and discusses how spillovers of viruses between dogs and various wild carnivores will affect future eradication efforts (Velasco-Villa et al., 2017).
authors.affiliation: Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, 30329 GA, USA. Electronic address: DLY3@CDC.GOV.
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velasco-Villa
authors.affiliation: Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, 55108 MN, USA.
authors.forename: Luis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Research & Environmental Safety Programs, Research Compliance and Safety, Georgia State University, Dahlberg Hall Building, 30 Courtland Street, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Mang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ Scotland, UK; MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Sir Henry Wellcome Building, Glasgow, G61 1QH Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Streicker
authors.affiliation: Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, 30329 GA, USA.
authors.forename: Nadia F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Gallardo-Romero
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades (CENAPRECE), Secretaria de Salud, Cuidad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vargas-Pino
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades (CENAPRECE), Secretaria de Salud, Cuidad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Cedillo
authors.affiliation: Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, 30329 GA, USA.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Damon
authors.affiliation: Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, 30329 GA, USA.
authors.forename: Ginny
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Emerson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002489:Central America; D060740:Disease Eradication; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004285:Dogs; D005843:Geography; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007843:Latin America; D010067:Ownership / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D057805:Pets; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000662:veterinary*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014611:Vaccination / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D011819:Rabies Vaccines