Editorial
The last issue for 2009 provides information
on rabies surveillance from most European countries. In
2009, a total of 6697 animal rabies cases and eleven human
cases were reported from European countries. Unfortunately,
for Turkey only data for the first quarter is available. We
are hoping that the technical difficulties will soon be
resolved and we will update the database retrospectively
once the data are available.
The global decreasing trend as compared to
previous years can be observed especially in those countries
that successfully implement oral rabies vaccination of
foxes. However, in 2009 in Italy despite control efforts,
the fox epidemic spread further westward. The Italian
authorities reacted by drastically enlarging the oral
vaccination area. At the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010
an emergency vaccination was undertaken with the aim to stop
further spread. It is anticipated that control efforts will
halt the spread and eventually eliminate rabies in Italy.
The miscellaneous article was provided by the
Russian colleagues in the Far East describing a clinical
human rabies case after a bat bite. The causative agent was
found to be closely related to the Irkut lyssavirus species
(IRKV). This is the first record of a bat associated human
rabies case in Asia, and it exemplifies that bats should be
regarded a potential transmitter of rabies in any region of
the world. A special thank to Ivan Kuzmin (CDC) for
providing first information on this case and helping to
establish contacts.
Conrad Freuling
Thomas Müller
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