A possible step forward in prevention of rabies

Despite efforts to reduce canine transmission, rabies still claims in the region of 60,000 human lives each year, mainly in lower and middle-income countries. (1) Effective vaccines exist and may be used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but are predominantly used in travellers.  Use of rabies vaccine PrEP has been limited in the most vulnerable populations by cost, despite some evidence that it could be cost-effective in some middle-income countries (2).  Limitations have been the cost of the vaccine and the need for a schedule with at least two doses, which increases the cost of administration. Interim results from a trial in Tanzania comparing a chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx) vectored rabies glycoprotein (G) vaccine with an approved inactivated cell culture manufactured rabies vaccine (IRV)(3) raise hope that this may change in the future(4). In children 2-6 years of age, viral neutralizing antibody titres 365 days after immunisation were superior to those after IRV...