Chile has become the first country in South America to obtain validation from the World Health Organization (WHO) for having eliminated dog-transmitted rabies as a public health problem. This international recognition highlights more than five decades of progress without recording any human cases of rabies and certifies the country's ability to prevent transmission from occurring again.
"I congratulate the Government and the people of Chile for this historic achievement," declares the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "This validation reflects decades of commitment to protecting communities against rabies and demonstrates the impact of sustained investment in public health. Chile's success offers valuable lessons to countries working to end human deaths from this preventable disease," he states.
The WHO's endorsement is the result of more than 50 years of continued national efforts to break the chain of transmission of canine rabies and sustain that progress through dog vaccination campaigns, epidemiological surveillance systems, and rapid access to post-exposure prophylaxis for at-risk populations.
"Chile's achievement is a testament to what sustained regional cooperation can achieve when countries invest in vaccination, surveillance, and access to care," notes Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, WHO Regional Director for the Americas and Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
"It demonstrates that eliminating dog-transmitted rabies is not only possible but also achievable and sustainable when countries work across sectors and maintain the necessary systems to protect people and animals," he adds.
More than five decades of prevention and control
Rabies is a viral infection that is almost always fatal once clinical symptoms manifest. However, canine-origin human rabies can be prevented through vaccination, proper surveillance, and timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis.
In Chile, the last documented case of human rabies transmitted by dogs dates back to 1972. This milestone was achieved thanks to consistent national policies to combat the disease, which have included the early administration of the vaccine to individuals potentially exposed to the rabies virus, generally following bites, scratches, or contact with the saliva of infected or suspected infected dogs.