Surveillance of rabies in Shantou city of Guangdong province, 2005 - 2009

Objective To evaluate the effect of rabies prevention and control in Shantou from 2005 to 2009 and discuss the future control strategies. Methods According to 'The Implementation Protocol of Rabies Surveillance in Guangdong Province (for trial),the data of rabies surveillance and case response in Shantou were collected to conduct descriptive epidemiological analysis. Results The wound sites of rabies exposed people were mainly on limbs (91.50%), and the wounds were mainly mild single ones. Among the vaccinated rabies exposed people, 35.43% received correct wound clearing and disinfection, 57.47% lived in urban area. A total of 14 rabies cases were reported from 2005 to 2009. The longest incubation period was 5 years, the shortest was 15 days (median: 69.5 days.) The longest disease course was 11 days, the shortest was 1 day (median: 5 days). Up to 71.42% of the cases had no standard wound treatment or had no wound treatment at all, and all the cases received no rabies vaccination. Conclusion The poor awareness of rabies prevention among the people in or near rural area and failure to receive standard treatment after exposure were the main causes of rabies epidemic in Shantou. It is necessary to strengthen the rabies surveillance and health education, make the rabies vaccine or rabies immune globulin administrations to be included in the compensation of medicare insurance in rural area to increase the coverage rate of rabies vaccine or rabies immune globulin among rabies exposed people.