Rabies causes approximately 59000 human deaths around the world every year. About 99% of these deaths originate from exposure to rabid dogs; herewith many (40%) victims are children. Vaccination for the disease in dogs will break the cycle of its transmission from dogs and save the lives of several tens of thousands of humans globally.
The World Veterinary Association (WVA) supports the view that dog-mediated rabies is an entirely preventable disease and that veterinarians have a key role to play in eliminating this risk to human health, and animal health and welfare.