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WHO Validates Chile as First South American Country to Eliminate Dog-Transmitted Rabies
Officials said decades of vaccination, surveillance and dog control ended human cases after the last reported infection in 1972.
On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that Chile has become the first country in South America to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies, following more than five decades of public health prevention and surveillance.
Extensive vaccination campaigns and community education initiatives have driven the country's success, with Chile recording its last case of dog-to-human rabies in 1972.
Human rabies cases in the Americas have dropped by more than 98% since 1983, a dramatic decline that contrasts with nearly 60,000 people killed by the virus annually worldwide, according to WHO.
Celebrating the achievement in Santiago, Chilean Health Minister May Chomali praised the "joint efforts" that led to the result, stating public policy on rabies eradication has yielded the desired results.
Chile became the first country in South America to eliminate the transmission of rabies from dogs to humans, after more than five decades of preventive and surveillance measures. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially validated this progress and presented Monday the country's performance as an example for states trying to end the deaths caused by this disease.