Bhutan achieves WHO validation for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies

Bhutan has become the first country in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region to have dog-transmitted human rabies validated as eliminated as a public health problem. The WHO formalised this status following a rigorous assessment of the nation’s long-term control programmes.

To achieve this milestone, Bhutan implemented a decade-long “One Health” approach, which integrates human health, animal health, and environmental management. The strategy focused on stopping the virus at its source through high dog vaccination coverage, robust disease surveillance, and laboratory confirmation. Additionally, the country ensured uninterrupted access to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for individuals bitten by animals.

While the WHO does not declare a country “rabies-free” in an absolute sense, the validation confirms that Bhutan has recorded no human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies for at least two years and possesses the necessary systems to prevent the disease from re-establishing itself. Bhutan’s last recorded human death from dog-mediated rabies occurred in June 2023.