The WHO Rabies Bulletin Europe: a key source of information on rabies and a pivotal tool for surveillance and epidemiology.

Rabies is one of the most, if not the most, prominent and feared zoonotic diseases in the world and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 55,000 people die of the disease every year. Most of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa and are usually the result of dog-mediated rabies. In Europe, the red fox is considered the main reservoir species for wildlife rabies caused by the rabies virus. Besides foxes, bats have also been identified as a reservoir for European bat lyssaviruses in many European countries. Here, the authors present the rabies surveillance data for Europe in recent years, as reported to the WHO Rabies Bulletin Europe. This journal has evolved into a web-based platform for rabies information (including an online accessible database) that on average receives more than 60,000 visitors each year.

Rabies in Europe--trends and developments.

Rabies continues to be a major public health concern both in Europe and worldwide. In the greater part of the European continent the disease has been eradicated, or its incidence drastically reduced, by oral vaccination of wildlife reservoirs. Yet, 'hot spots' still remain in north-eastern and south-eastern Europe with a high temporal variation of disease distribution in the previous decade. Rabies is predominantly transmitted by the red fox; but in recent years, especially in Eastern European countries, an independent infection cycle in raccoon dogs seems to have developed. Although countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland achieved very impressive rabies control results and trend analyses of rabies occurrence showed a long- and short-term decrease, there is still need for improved rabies surveillance and control in Europe. The Rabies Bulletin Europe (RBE), a quarterly, printed and on-line publication, aims to improve this situation. Besides the need to improve the quality of data in some countries, it will provide a public domain rabies database in the near future. Further strategic cooperation is necessary to control the disease in areas of European public health concern.