Human rabies prophylactics: the French experience

Abstract

In 1968, fox rabies was introduced on the French territory, in the Moselle department and from that time, spread southwards and westwards from the French-German border at the speed of 40 km per year. Consequently, a program aimed at controlling and eradicating the disease was carried out. Collaboration between human and veterinary medicine has been the key of the success of this program. In 2001, rabies in terrestrial animals was eradicated from France, while no indigenous human rabies case had been reported. Meanwhile, post-exposure treatments (PET) had been closely monitored. Data on rabies cases in animals, rabies cases in humans, PET, surveillance of exposures to baits and oral vaccines for the wild fauna, and exposures outside the French territory will be successively considered and discussed.