Risk for rabies importation from North Africa

Philippe Gautret (1) , Florence Ribadeau-Dumas (2) , Philippe Parola (1) , Philippe Brouqui (1) , Hervé Bourhy (2)

1 M.I.T - Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales [CHU Hôpital Nord - Marseille]
2 CC-OMS - Centre Collaborateur de l'OMS pour la Rage - Dynamique des lyssavirus et adaptation à l'hôte

A retrospective study conducted in France indicated that a large proportion of patients injured by potentially rabid animals while in North Africa did not seek pretravel advice, and some had not received proper rabies postexposure prophylaxis while in North Africa. As a result, imported human rabies cases are still being reported, and the need for postexposure prophylaxis after exposure in North Africa is not declining. Tourists are generally unaware of the danger of importing potentially rabid animals and of the rules governing the movement of pets. In France, for example, rabid dogs have frequently been imported from Morocco to France through Spain. This situation imposes heavy social and economic costs and impedes rabies control in Europe. Rabies surveillance and control should therefore be reinforced in North Africa, and travelers to North Africa should receive appropriate information about rabies risk and prevention.

Keywords: Africa; Northern; Animals; Antibodies; Viral; Communicable Diseases; Emerging; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Education; Medical; Continuing; Europe; Female; France; Humans; Male; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; Rabies; Rabies Vaccines; Rabies virus; Risk Factors; Travel

Domains: Virology

Philippe Gautret, Florence Ribadeau-Dumas, Philippe Parola, Philippe Brouqui, Hervé Bourhy. Risk for rabies importation from North Africa. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2011, 17 (12), pp.2187--2193. ⟨10.3201/eid1712.110300⟩. ⟨pasteur-01491358⟩