Clin Exp Vaccine Res.  2017 Jul;6(2):111-119. 10.7774/cevr.2017.6.2.111.

Mass vaccination has led to the elimination of rabies since 2014 in South Korea

• Yang DK
• Kim HH
• Lee KK
• Yoo JY
• Seomun H
• Cho IS

• KMID: 2391571
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7774/cevr.2017.6.2.111

Abstract

PURPOSE
Rabies is one of the most fatal diseases, but it is 100% preventable in animals by vaccination. In this study, we present the epidemiological features of, and national preventive measures against, rabies in Korea.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data related to rabies and the population density of raccoon dogs in Korea were collected from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Environmental Research. Rabies diagnosis was confirmed with a fluorescent antibody test using brain samples of animals in accordance with the procedures described by the World Organization for Animal Health. Serological assays for dogs and cattle were conducted using the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test.
RESULTS
From 1993 to 2016, a total of seven human rabies cases and 437 animal rabies cases in five different species were reported. An increase in the distribution of bait vaccine seemed to be related to a dramatic decrease in rabies prevalence in endemic rabies regions. Two Korean provinces and the capital city, Seoul, were involved in rabies outbreaks. Korean rabies strains are most closely related to the eastern Chinese strain belonging to the Arctic-like lineage. The yearly seropositive rates ranged from 50.4% to 81.2% in dogs and from 25% to 60.5% in cattle residing in endemic rabies regions.
CONCLUSION
This study indicates that national preventive measures, including mass vaccination and distribution of bait vaccines, have contributed to a substantial decrease in the number of rabies cases in Korea.

Keyword

Epidemiology; Rabies; Disease eradication; Korea

MeSH Terms

Animals
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Brain
Cattle
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Diagnosis
Disease Eradication
Disease Outbreaks
Dogs
Epidemiology
Humans
Korea*
Mass Vaccination*
Neutralization Tests
Plants
Population Density
Prevalence
Quarantine
Rabies*
Raccoon Dogs
Seoul
Vaccination
Vaccines
Vaccines

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Animal rabies cases reported in Korea since 1907, and the timing of rabies vaccination programs.

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  Fig. 2 Relationship between the doses of rabies vaccines administered to pets and domestic animals and the number of rabies cases since 1993.

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  Fig. 3 Relationship between the doses of bait vaccines administered and the number of animal rabies cases since 1993.

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  Fig. 4 Distribution of rabies cases according to animal species in South Korea since 1993.

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  Fig. 5 Seasonal and monthly distribution of animal rabies cases in South Korea since 1993.

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  Fig. 6 (A) Distribution of animal rabies cases in South Korea from 1993 to 2016. The regions of occurrence are colored, for the periods 1993-2005 (B) and 2006-2016 (C).

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  Fig. 7 Phylogenetic trees showing the relationship between 61 nucleocapsid genes of the rabies virus (RABV) (A) and the classification of 40 Korean RABVs isolated after 1998 (B). RABV isolates in the Gyeonggi II class are closely related to those in the Gangwon I and II classes.

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  Fig. 8 Yearly rabies sero-positive rates in dogs and cattle since 2002.

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  Fig. 9 Population density of raccoon dogs by Korean province. The raccoon dog survey was initiated in 2002.

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