The raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies virus variant (RRVV) was detected on Cape Cod, MA in 2004, despite ten years of a cooperative mainland Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) baiting program to prevent its spread onto the peninsula. Despite considerable emergency surveillance, ORV, and Trap-Vaccinate-Release (TVR) efforts, RRVV was eventually detected at Cape Cod’s eastern tip in 2006. Surveillance and control efforts aimed at reducing RRVV cases and shifting ORV operations toward the mainland as a moving barrier were begun, and by 2013, RRVV was eliminated from Cape Cod.

The diagnosis of human rabies may be frequently missed, especially in geographic locations where most physicians are not familiar with the disease and when there is no history of an animal exposure. Based on cases of undiagnosed rabies virus-infected organ donors (3 over a 25 year period), Kim and Donnelly recently calculated that only about 7% of human rabies cases were confirmed in the United States during 2000-2024, which corresponds to a mean of 34.2 deaths per year (Communications Health 1:23, 2026).

Human rabies remains almost invariably fatal. We improvised supportive critical care in 2004, now called the Milwaukee Protocol (MP). The protocol prolonged survival to unmask a sequence of clinical syndromes that could be anticipated and addressed using established therapies for other diseases. There are now 117 known used of the MP, with notable differences in clinical syndromes and humoral immunity by virus phylogeny (dog, insect bat, vampire bat, macaque TBD), vector (cat), and receipt of rabies vaccine or immunoglobulins. This number of confounders limits statistical inferences.

The diagnosis of human rabies may be frequently missed, especially in geographic locations where most physicians are not familiar with the disease and when there is no history of an animal exposure. Based on cases of undiagnosed rabies virus-infected organ donors (3 over a 25 year period), Kim and Donnelly recently calculated that only about 7% of human rabies cases were confirmed in the United States during 2000-2024, which corresponds to a mean of 34.2 deaths per year (Communications Health 1:23, 2026).

Once rabies reaches the central nervous system, it is almost uniformly fatal. Neuroimaging studies consistently describe a distinctive pattern of T2/FLAIR hyperintensities in the basal ganglia, thalami, hypothalamus, dorsal brainstem, and limbic structures (hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate gyrus), typically without diffusion restriction or contrast enhancement.

Background: Rabies causes an estimated 70,000 human deaths annually despite being entirely preventable. Effective prevention depends on timely access to vaccines, biologics, and actionable information. Conventional education often relies on predetermined messages and routine campaigns rather than real-time assessment of community information needs. We propose web-based search data as a complementary population-level indicator of information needs and emerging concerns to inform rabies education.

Introduction: Rabies is typically fatal after symptom onset, making effective prophylaxis critical. Correct post-exposure prophylaxis may prevent ~56,000 deaths annually. The purified chick embryo cell based inactivated rabies vaccine Rabipur/RabAvert is approved for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis in 15 European Economic Area (EEA) and 8 non-EEA countries. This overview summarizes the global post-marketing safety experience since its approval in 1984.

Background. PVRV-NG2 is a next-generation, highly purified, inactivated, freeze-dried, serum-free Vero Cell Rabies Vaccine.

Objectives:  The clinical development plan evaluated the immunogenicity and safety profile of PVRV-NG2 versus HDCV (Human Diploid Cell Vaccine)  and PVRV (Purified Vero Cell Rabies Vaccine).

After successfully eliminating raccoon rabies in 2010, Québec has been facing the re-emergence of the disease since December 2024. As of August 31, 2026, 281 animal cases had been confirmed, including two cases in domestic cats. Most cases were detected through an enhanced surveillance program relying primarily on public reports of sick or dead raccoons. Between January and August 2026, more than 2,000 specimens were collected and tested, representing the highest number recorded for this period since the surveillance program was established in 2008.

The overpopulation of unvaccinated, free-roaming canines remains the main driver of human cases of rabies, while also being a root cause of enormous animal suffering.   

This research is intended to publish the number of dogs that receive no veterinary care by determining, (to the degree possible), the number of dogs that are vaccinated against rabies vs. the number that are not vaccinated against rabies.