You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet. Rabies is a serious Zoonosis which can be transmitted to humans from animals. Description Rabies is an important zoonotic viral disease that is invariably fatal and can infect all mammals. Over 27,000 cases of rabies are reported in animals every year, and in 1993 over 31,000 cases were reported in humans. It has been estimated that as many as 25,000 human deaths due to rabies may occur annually in India alone.
Dogs are the main vector for human rabies.
Australasia and other countries which have enforced strict quarantine restrictions on animal movements. Within Europe these restrictions on movement are being gradually removed. Dogs which originate from licensed premises in Europe and which have been vaccinated with rabies vaccine, and identified by a microchip implant, are now being allowed to pass into the UK without the need for a period in quarantine. In most countries Rabies is a notifiable disease and suspect animals must be kept in isolation and barrier nursed. Nucleoprotein gene studies suggest that the disease probably spread from Europe to America, Asia and Africa.