Although rabies is a disease that’s completely preventable, almost 60,000 people die from the disease around the world every year. In the U.S., several people die from the disease annually, and there are almost 5,000 cases of animal rabies each year.

To help combat this problem and reduce the number of people killed by the disease every year, World Rabies Day was created in 2007 to raise awareness about this disease. Each and every year since then, there has been a new “theme” for this international holiday.

In 2007, the theme for this day was “Working Together to Make Rabies History,” and in 2021, the theme was “Rabies: Facts, not Fear.”

The History Of World Rabies Day

World Rabies Day started in September 2007 with a partnership between the CDC and the Alliance for Rabies Control. Also helping with the effort were the World Organization for Animal Health and the Pan American Health Organization.

Over the next few years, the event took place in over 100 countries, and it’s been estimated that over 100 million people have been educated about rabies. It has since been recognized as a holiday that raises people’s awareness about rabies and has saved countless lives.

Facts About Rabies

As we researched the origins and practices of this international holiday, we learned quite a few facts about rabies. Facts that we would now like to share with everyone reading this holiday article. We hope by enlightening our readers in this manner, we can help World Rabies Day accomplish its job of preventing rabies in the world.

Rabies Presents A Lot Of Different Symptoms

Although many people only associate rabies with aggressive behavior and a foaming mouth, rabies actually presents a variety of different symptoms. These symptoms include confusion, fever, insomnia, hallucinations, and convulsions, along with excessive drooling and salivation.

Rabies Used To Be A Problem For Domesticated Animals

Before vaccinations, rabies was a serious problem among domesticated animals. Now, it’s more prevalent among wildlife. Coyotes, cats, weasels, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, and bats have the highest incidence of rabies.

Rabies Is More Common In Certain Areas

In the United States, rabies is more common in California, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin. The area with the most human deaths due to rabies is Asia—particularly on the subcontinent of India. This is due primarily to rabies spread by stray dogs.

It’s Not Possible To Tell Whether An Animal Has Rabies Just After A Bite

Without testing the animal’s brain, it’s impossible to determine whether an animal that has bitten a human has rabies. It’s best practice to assume that the animal has rabies and to start preventative treatments.

Observing World Rabies Day

One of the main ways that people can observe World Rabies Day is to make sure their pets are vaccinated against this heinous disease. Once they’ve done that simple act, they can then spread the word about this disease and this day, raising awareness about it on social media using the hashtag #WorldRabiesDay.

Let’s spread the word about rabies and keep spreading the word until no one on the planet is affected by this disease anymore.