Thousands of holidaymakers are spending their summer holidays in countries where there is a high risk of getting rabies from a dog, figures reveal (so which pose the biggest threat?)

  • Tourist destinations Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia all have a high rabies risk
  • Public Health England has revealed the risk levels in nearly 200 countries 
  • UK and Australia have 'no risk' of rabies while US and Canada's is 'low'
  • The disease is almost always spread by dogs and often fatal in humans

Thousands of Brits are spending their summer holidays in countries where there is a high risk of getting rabies from a dog, official figures reveal.

Health officials have released new data showing the risk of contracting deadly rabies in countries all over the world, and warn travellers not to touch animals abroad. 

The UK, Australia and New Zealand have no risk of the disease but the danger is slightly higher in the US and Canada, where foxes, skunks and raccoons transmit it.

Popular tourist destinations like Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey all carry a high risk of dogs transmitting rabies to people, as does Russia, which may be seeing a boost in visitors because of the World Cup.

The guidance, issued by Public Health England, follows a commitment by the World Health Organisation to wipe out human deaths from the disease by 2030.

Rabies kills 59,000 people a year – one person every nine minutes – and nearly all cases are caused by bites from dogs, which can be vaccinated against it. 

The majority of rabies cases are caused by bites or scratches from infected dogs

The majority of rabies cases are caused by bites or scratches from infected dogs

Nearly 200 countries have been assessed by Public Health England (PHE), and a full list of their ratings is at the end of this article or on the official website.

Travel agents revealed earlier this year that Brits are taking advantage of cheap flights to formerly popular holiday destinations Turkey and Tunisia.

Tourism in the countries took a hit amid terrorism concerns after 30 holidaymakers were shot dead in Tunisia in 2015, and ISIS has carried out attacks in Egypt and Turkey.

But people flocking back to the countries may need to be wary of dogs there, because all three countries have a high rabies risk. 

'If bitten on holiday, don't wait until you get home to see a doctor'

And they are not alone – 103 countries on PHE's list are classified as high-risk, and the health experts have issued a warning to summer travellers.

Dr Katherine Russell, consultant epidemiologist at PHE  said: 'We have updated our rabies guidance to reflect the most recent evidence and best practice in England. 

'As the summer holidays approach, people travelling abroad should be aware of the rabies risks in countries they are visiting and avoid touching or feeding animals while abroad. 

'Rabies vaccination may be relevant for some people, so discuss it and other health issues with a travel health professional before going on holiday. 

'If someone is bitten by an animal abroad, they should seek local medical attention and not wait until they get back home.' 

Meat-eating mammals like dogs and foxes are biggest carriers 

All countries in the world, except the UK and Ireland, are considered to be high risk for rabies in bats, but bats are generally unlikely to bite people. The disease may also be spread by rodents and primates.

WHAT IS RABIES? 

Rabies is a deadly infection of the brain and nervous system which is usually caught through a bite or scratch from an infected animal.

The disease is rare but is almost always fatal once symptoms have started in people who have not been vaccinated. 

Symptoms usually take three to 12 weeks to develop and can include a fever, headache and pain where the injury was.

As the disease gets worse people can become aggressive, have hallucinations, have muscle spasms or paralysis, have difficulty swallowing or breathing and even froth at the mouth.

The disease is then likely to result in seizures, coma and death.

Rabies is most common in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, but is found around the world. There is almost no rabies in the UK except in a small number of wild bats.

If travelling to an area with a high risk people can be vaccinated, and should avoid any contact with animals.

After a bite or scratch people should clean the wound and seek immediate medical help, wherever they are in the world.

Source: NHS  

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But the most common carriers are carnivorous mammals like dogs, foxes and raccoons.  

In high risk countries, there is a chance both wild or pet animals may have the disease.

Both the US and Canada have low risk, but foxes, skunks and raccoons pose a threat.

Rabies is nearly always fatal in people unless they have been vaccinated, and seriously infects the brain and nervous system. 

Symptoms start off mild with a fever and headache but progress to aggressive behaviour, muscle spasms or paralysis and eventually coma and death. 

The disease can also cause people and animals to foam at the mouth, the symptom it is perhaps most associated with. 

Commitment to eradicate deaths from rabies spread by dogs 

The World Health Organisation in June said it is committed to completely stopping people dying from the disease by 2030.

It said: 'We can prevent rabies deaths by increasing awareness, vaccinating dogs to prevent the disease at its source and administering life-saving treatment after people have been bitten.

'We have the vaccines, medicines, tools and technologies to prevent people from dying from dog-mediated rabies. 

'For a relatively low cost it is possible to break the disease cycle and save lives.'

Other tourist destinations which have a high risk include the Indonesian island of Bali, which is popular among young people and Australian travellers, and Morocco and South Africa. 

Most of Europe is low or no risk, but foxes are thought to be dangerous in Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

Florida boy died after touching a bat 

A six-year-old Florida boy died in January after being scratched by a bat with rabies.  

Ryker Roque died on Sunday January 14 at an Orlando hospital after touching a bat which his father Henry had found in the garden and put in a bucket.

A person can survive rabies if they are given a vaccine immediately after being infected, but Ryker's parents only cleaned his wound and didn't take him to the hospital because their son cried when they told him he would need a shot.

A week later his fingers started to numb, he was unable to walk and began hallucinating, prompting his parents to take him to seek medical help.

He underwent experimental treatment that has only cured two patients in the US, but succumbed to the nearly always fatal disease.

THE RISK OF CATCHING RABIES FROM DOGS OR SIMILAR MEAT-EATING MAMMALS IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD 
Country Level of risk
Afghanistan High risk
Albania High risk
Algeria High risk
American Samoa No risk
Andaman and Nicobar Islands High risk
Andorra No risk
Angola High risk
Anguilla No risk
Antarctica No risk
Antigua and Barbuda No risk
Argentina High risk
Armenia High risk
Aruba No risk
Ascension Island No risk
Australia No risk
Austria No risk
Azerbaijan High risk
Azores No risk
Bahamas No risk
Bahrain Low risk
Balearic islands No risk
Bali High risk
Bangladesh High risk
Barbados No risk
Belarus High risk
Belgium No risk
Belize High risk
Benin High risk
Bermuda No risk
Bhutan High risk
Bolivia High risk
Borneo High risk
Bosnia and Herzegovina High risk
Botswana High risk
Brazil High risk
British Virgin Islands No risk
Brunei Darussalam Low risk
Bulgaria Low risk but foxes are high risk
Burkina Faso High risk
Burma High risk
Burundi High risk
Cabrera No risk
Cambodia High risk
Cameroon High risk
Canada Low risk but foxes, skunks and racoons are high risk
Canary Islands No risk
Cape Verde No risk
Cayman Islands No risk
Central African Republic High risk
Chad High risk
Channel Islands No risk
Chile Low risk
China High risk
Christmas Island No risk
Cocos (Keeling) Islands No risk
Colombia High risk
Comoros High risk
Cook Islands No risk
Corsica No risk
Costa Rica High risk
Cote d'Ivoire High risk
Croatia Low risk but foxes are high risk
Cuba High risk
Cyprus No risk
Czech Republic No risk
Czech Republic, within 50km border Poland/Slovakia Low risk but foxes are high risk
Democratic Republic of the Congo High risk
Denmark No risk
Djibouti High risk
Dominica No risk
Dominican Republic High risk
Ecuador High risk
Egypt High risk
El Salvador High risk
Equatorial Guinea High risk
Eritrea High risk
Estonia No risk
Ethiopia High risk
Faeroe Islands No risk
Falkland Islands No risk
Formentera No risk
France No risk
French Guiana High risk
French Polynesia No risk
Gabon High risk
Galapagos Islands No risk
Georgia High risk
Gibraltar No risk
Greece No risk
Greenland High risk
Grenada Low risk
Guadeloupe No risk
Guam No risk
Guatemala High risk
Guinea High risk
Guinea-Bissau High risk
Guyana High risk
Haiti High risk
Hawaii No risk
Honduras High risk
Hong Kong Low risk
Hungary Low risk but foxes are high risk
Ibiza No risk
Indonesia High risk
Iran High risk
Iraq High risk
Ireland No risk
Isle of Man No risk
Israel High risk
Italy No risk
Jamaica No risk
Jan Mayen and Svalbard (Norway) High risk
Japan No risk
Jordan High risk
Kuwait Low risk
Kyrgyzstan High risk
La Reunion No risk
Laos High risk
Libya High risk
Liechtenstein No risk
Lithuania High risk
Luxembourg No risk
Majorca No risk
Malawi High risk
Malaysia High risk
Maldives No risk
Margarita Island High risk
Marshall Islands No risk
Martinique No risk
Mauritania High risk
Menorca No risk
Mexico High risk
Micronesia No risk
Moldova High risk
Monaco No risk
Mongolia High risk
Montenegro High risk
Montserrat No risk
Morocco High risk
Mozambique High risk
Nauru No risk
Netherlands Antilles No risk
New Caledonia No risk
New Zealand No risk
Nicaragua High risk
Niger High risk
Nigeria High risk
Niue No risk
Norfolk Island No risk
Oman High risk
Pakistan High risk
Palau No risk
Palestine High risk
Paraguay High risk
Pitcairn Islands No risk
Poland High risk
Portugal No risk
Puerto Rico High risk
Qatar Low risk
Romania High risk
Russian Federation High risk
Saint Kitts and Nevis No risk
Sao Tome & Principe Low risk
Saudi Arabia High risk
Senegal High risk
Slovakia Low risk but foxes are high risk
Slovenia Low risk but foxes are high risk
Solomon Islands No risk
Somalia High risk
South Africa High risk
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands No risk
South Korea High risk
Spain - mainland, Balearic and Canary Islands No risk
Sudan (North and South) High risk
Swaziland High risk
Sweden No risk
Switzerland No risk
Syria High risk
Tahiti No risk
Tanzania High risk
The Gambia High risk
Timor-Leste Low risk
Tonga No risk
Trinidad and Tobago Low risk
Tunisia High risk
Turkey High risk
Turkmenistan High risk
Uganda High risk
Ukraine High risk
United Arab Emirates Low risk
United Kingdom No risk
United States of America Low risk but foxes, skunks and racoons are high risk
Uruguay High risk
Venezuela High risk
Wake Island and the US Pacific Islands No risk
Wallis and Futuna Islands No risk
Western Sahara High risk
Yemen High risk
Zimbabwe High risk