Qatar celebrates nearly five years of rabies-free status, emphasising the importance of continued efforts against the disease.

The year 2024 marks half a decade that Qatar has remained unscathed by the wave of rabies and therefore free of the disease, the director of the Animal Wealth Department at the Ministry of Municipality announced.

Rabies disease is transmitted from animals to humans. Yet, there were still some countries unable to adequately curb the spread of the disease.

Speaking at a regional workshop themed “Developments in the Control and Elimination of Rabies,” jointly hosted by the ministry and the Animal Health Organization, the director Abdulaziz Al Ziyara emphasised the critical importance of sustained efforts against this disease.

Emphasising the workshop’s pivotal role, he stressed its significance in fostering communication and sharing vital information, thereby broadening understanding of epidemiological investigation methods and combatting strategies.

Rabies, a viral disease transmitted primarily through the bite of infected animals, plagues over 150 countries and territories worldwide. Al Ziyara lamented its devastating toll, noting that it claims tens of thousands of lives annually, with a 40 percent harrowing impact on children under 15, especially prevalent in Asia and Africa.

For this reason, the Ministry of Municipality, represented by the Livestock Department, collaborated with the sub-regional office of the World Organization for Animal Health for the Arab Gulf States to convene this workshop, aimed at facilitating information exchange and combat strategies against this perilous disease.

Rabies triggers inflammation in both the spinal cord and the brain. It can spread through various means, including saliva from an infected mammal, typically through a bite, scratch, or contact with broken skin or mucous membrane (though intact skin is typically impervious), a Hamad Medical Corporation report said.

Aerosol transmission is also plausible, though rare, may occur in environments like bat caves. In exceedingly rare cases, the disease can spread via bodily fluids or transplanted tissues.

There is no effective treatment for rabies once clinical signs develop.

Some of the countries that are generally classified as rabies-controlled are Qatar, Bahrain, Belgium, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Grenada, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Slovakia, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirate, the United States, and the United Kingdom.