Rabies 2023
Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) 2023
In 2023, a total of 281 individuals were determined to have possible exposure to rabies after animal bites and were put on rabies PEP treatment. Of these, 15 people had previously received PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis).
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis given after exposure in Denmark in 2023
In 2023, 37 people were treated for rabies after possible exposure in Denmark (PEP). Human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) was given to 24 of the 37 exposed individuals.
The most common exposure in Denmark was bites or scratches from bats, which led to 32 people being put on prophylactic treatment. Four people were bitten by illegally imported unvaccinated dogs, and one person was scratched and drooled on by an aggressive cat that had been seen carrying a dead bat the week before.
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis given after exposure abroad in 2023
In 2023, 244 individuals were put on PEP after possible exposure to rabies abroad.
Figure 1 shows that the increase in exposure to rabies abroad, which began in 2022 after a period of very few exposures due to reduced travel activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, continued in 2023.
Among the 244 individuals who were exposed to rabies abroad, 114 received HRIG (47%), of which 53 received it only after arriving in Denmark.A large portion of those who were put on rabies PEP after bites abroad in 2023 were, like in 2022, exposed in Thailand (52) or Turkey (41).
In 2023, dogs were the cause of possible exposure abroad in 134 (55%) cases. Additionally, 52 individuals (21%) were possibly exposed by cats, 48 individuals (20%) were possibly exposed by monkeys, two individuals were possibly exposed by bats, two individuals were possibly exposed by a fox, and the exposure for six individuals was not specified.
Rabies in animals
Rabies is most often caused by the classic rabies virus but can also, in rare cases, be caused by European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV types 1 and 2), also known as bat rabies virus. Classic rabies remains endemic in large parts of the world, including parts of Eastern Europe, while it has been eradicated in the western part of Europe. Illegal importation of pets from, among others, Eastern Europe and North Africa continues to be a problem, and there are regular reports of rabies cases in dogs or cats illegally imported into the EU. Classic rabies is endemic in Greenland, where arctic foxes regularly spread the infection to other mammals.
Denmark has been free of classic rabies since 1982, while bat rabies, considered endemic, was first detected in 1985. Most recently, EBLV type 1 was detected in a southern bat in 2009, while EBLV type 2 was detected in a saliva sample from a water bat in 2015.
In 2023, 44 animals from Denmark were tested for classic rabies and/or bat rabies in passive surveillance. The 43 bats comprised of 30 bats submitted for suspicion of bat rabies and 13 bats submitted as fallen wildlife. All tested animals were found negative by PCR, Table 1.
In 2023, there were 4 submissions from Greenlandic arctic foxes for testing for classic rabies, Table 2. Classic rabies virus was found in 3 out of 4 submitted arctic foxes. The examinations of the arctic foxes were carried out by the OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe reference laboratory at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) in Germany in agreement with Statens Serum Institut.
This report is also mentioned in EPI-NEWS 50b/2024.