What is it about?

Effective strategies to control and eliminate canine rabies (and thus dog-transmitted human rabies) are uninterrupted mass dog vaccination campaigns and surveillance for rabid dogs. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these vital control activities were diminished or suspended due to restrictions implemented to decrease the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and redirection of funds. Almost a year after Peru’s response to COVID-19 began, canine rabies cases in Arequipa increased rapidly.

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Why is it important?

Disruptions due to COVID-19 led to major setbacks in many infectious disease control programs. We highlight the case of canine rabies in Arequipa, Peru. We analyze mechanisms in which COVID-19 related policies led to an increased rabies trends in the region.

Perspectives

I hope this article highlights how control programs of already 'neglected' diseases are vulnerable to changing external factors despite being crucial to mitigate major public health threats. Additionally, I hope this work will lead readers to think about the hurdles that infectious disease control programs face and inspire readers to consider innovative solutions.

Brinkley Raynor
University of Pennsylvania

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This page is a summary of: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rabies reemergence in Latin America: The case of Arequipa, Peru, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, May 2021, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009414.
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