Rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease.
The most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people is by eliminating rabies in dogs through vaccination.
Vaccination of animals (mostly dogs) has reduced the number of human (and animal) rabies cases in several countries, particularly in Latin America.
However, recent increases in human rabies deaths in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America suggest that rabies is re-emerging as a serious public health issue.