Rabies and vaccination campaign in Switzerland

Disease
Rabies is a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and is caused by viruses from the genus Lyssavirus. Infection usually occurs by being bitten or scratched by foxes, dogs or bats. However, contact between their saliva and human mucous membranes is sufficient to cause infection.
The time between infection and the onset of illness varies drastically, but is generally between 20 and 60 days. The disease attacks the brain and nervous system. The symptoms of rabies are often nonspecific and, in the first stage, include general malaise, headaches, fever, itchiness and sensitivity to pain in the area of the bite or scratch wound. In the advanced stages of the disease, symptoms such as hallucinations, seizures, hyperactivity and paralysis may occur. Lastly, the patients fall into a coma. Death ensues as a result of paralysis of the respiratory centre of the nervous system. There is no treatment after onset of the disease.

Prevention
Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine for rabies as early as 1885. In Switzerland, preventative vaccination is nowadays recommended for people who work in close contact with animals and are at risk of being bitten or for people who work in laboratories with rabies viruses. In travel medicine, it is recommended for people staying in affected areas for long periods or making journeys with high individual risk.
To prevent infection with rabies, people should refrain from touching wild animals, unfamiliar domestic animals or dead animals in particular. After exposure – for example, after coming into contact with a bat or after being injured by a sick or unfamiliar animal in an area at risk – the wound should be washed thoroughly with soap immediately and the person affected should see a doctor without delay. As long as no symptoms occur, vaccination within 24 hours of being infected is enough to prevent the onset of disease.

Spread
Rabies occurs nearly everywhere in the world. According to WHO reports, around 55,000 people die of rabies each year. Switzerland was the first country to vaccinate wild animals orally using bait, starting from the 1970s. Other European countries soon followed suit and, over the course of a few years, produced highly successful results. In Switzerland, the most recent cases – with the exception of bats – were observed in 1996 and, since 1999, the country has officially been regarded as free of rabies among terrestrial animals. The situation is similar in the majority of countries within the European Union and in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. There are strict rules in place regarding the import of animals in order to prevent rabies from being reintroduced from other countries. The Swiss Rabies Centre is responsible for compliance with these rules, the quality of vaccines and verifying suspected cases in Switzerland.