ABSTRACT
Rabies was rst recognized as a zoonosis over 4000 years ago and yet it remains a neglected disease [1]. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, rabies persists globally as a signicant public and animal health burden. In excess of 55,000 human rabies deaths occur annually, predominantly in Asia and Africa, and up to 60% of the victims are children. Classical rabies is endemic throughout all continents with the exception of several islands and peninsulas including Australia and New Zealand, an increasing number of European countries and Antarctica. Having eliminated rabies, countries that are striving to maintain their rabies free status, usually do so at considerable cost and with a continual risk of reimportation [2,3].
