Mahendra Pal^1,, Tesfaye Rebuma², Motuma Regassa³, Chala Gutema³, Alessandra Mazzeo⁴

Rabies is the most lethal viral zoonosis, with bats as reservoirs, causing fatal encephalomyelitis in humans and terrestrial mammals across various categories, including pets, livestock, stray animals, and wildlife. Rabies spans natural, rural, and urban areas, primarily affecting marginalized communities in low-income countries and posing a threat to food security and livelihoods. In Ethiopia, where dog-mediated human rabies is endemic, it is considered a prioritized zoonotic disease addressed through ongoing efforts, including parental dog vaccination initiatives. These efforts are supported by various global and international organizations. The One Health approach emphasizes the need to intensify these actions to resolve the persistent issue of a large population of stray dogs possibly interacting with wild animals and bats. Urgent experimentation is essential for the development of new protective vaccines against the bat-associated rabies viruses present in Ethiopia. These viruses can infect dogs vaccinated with the currently available vaccine. Additionally, adopting Oral Rabies Vaccination for stray and guard dogs in urban and rural areas, respectively, could be crucial. Oral Rabies Vaccination, already successfully implemented in Europe for wildlife (foxes), establishes a natural barrier of vaccinated animals effectively protecting the territory from the entry of rabid wild animals, as vaccinated animals can preside over the territory without being infected.

One Health, zoonoses, rabies, bat-associated rabies viruses, stray dogs, Oral Rabies Vaccination, Ethiopia