Human rabies in Shanghai: Epidemiological insights for improved prevention and control

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, viral zoonotic disease caused by a lyssavirus. This study was aimed at analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of human rabies in Shanghai to provide valuable information to support accurate prevention and control.

Individual-level data on human rabies and dog bites/attacks in Shanghai were collected from 2006 to 2021. Demographic characteristics, spatial and seasonal patterns, and correlations were analyzed to explore the epidemiological profiles. Infection risk was predicted with a Bayesian aggression model.
A total of 43 human rabies cases were registered in Shanghai in 2006-2021; the annual average incidence rate was 0.01/100000. People aged from 50-59, 10-19 or ≥60 years had elevated risk. All cases were reported in suburban districts and peaked in July. The body parts most frequently injured by dogs were the hands (48.84%). The fatality rate was 100%. Most cases (86.05%) were not treated after exposure. A total of 310 dog bites/attacks were reported and significantly correlated with the number of cases (P=0.010). The predicted risk of human rabies was higher in suburban than urban areas.

The incidence of human rabies in Shanghai was relatively low; nevertheless, risk still existed, particularly in suburban areas.