Chile eliminates dog-to-human rabies transmission

Chile has become the first country in South America validated by the World Health Organization for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem.

The country’s last recorded human case transmitted by a dog occurred in 1972. But certification required more than a long absence of cases. Chile also had to demonstrate strong laboratory, surveillance, vaccination and response systems capable of preventing the disease from becoming established again.

That protection was built over more than five decades. Measures included widespread vaccination of dogs and cats, door-to-door canine vaccination campaigns, management of dog populations, community education and timely vaccination for people potentially exposed to the virus. Municipal authorities played a central role by bringing prevention, pet vaccination and public information directly into communities.

Rabies is preventable, but once clinical symptoms appear it is almost always fatal. Across the Americas, human cases linked to dogs have fallen by more than 98% since 1983, although the disease still causes tens of thousands of deaths globally each year, mainly in Asia and Africa.

Chile’s recognition shows how sustained public investment, local delivery and reliable monitoring can stop a deadly infection and keep it from returning.