Chile becomes first South American country to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies
Chile reported its last human case of dog transmitted rabies in 1972.
CHILE—Chile has become the first country in South America to receive World Health Organization (WHO) validation for eliminating dog transmitted rabies as a public health problem, following more than five decades without a human case transmitted by dogs.
The recognition comes days after WHO validated Bhutan’s elimination of dog-transmitted rabies, making it the first country in the WHO South East Asia Region to achieve the milestone.
Sustained national action
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the Chilean government and people, saying the achievement reflects decades of commitment to protecting communities from rabies.
He said Chile’s experience provides valuable lessons for countries seeking to prevent deaths from the disease.
Chile reported its last human case of dog-transmitted rabies in 1972.
Since then, the country has maintained its National Rabies Prevention and Control Programme, which combines mass vaccination of dogs and cats, disease surveillance, laboratory testing and timely access to post exposure prophylaxis.
The country also implemented door-to-door dog vaccination campaigns, targeted dog population management, and community education.
More recently, Chile has strengthened risk assessment, expanded community-based surveillance, and introduced preventive vaccination activities in border areas considered at greater risk of rabies reintroduction.
Meeting WHO requirements
To receive validation, Chile had to demonstrate not only the sustained absence of human rabies transmitted by dogs, but also the capacity to detect and respond to any potential reintroduction.
Chile submitted a technical dossier demonstrating compliance with WHO requirements.
An independent international group of experts convened by PANAFTOSA, PAHO and WHO reviewed the evidence and confirmed that the country had met the established criteria.
Dr Jarbas Barbosa, WHO Regional Director for the Americas and Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said Chile’s achievement demonstrates what sustained regional cooperation can accomplish through investment in vaccination, surveillance, and access to care.
He added that the milestone shows that eliminating dog-transmitted rabies is achievable and sustainable when countries work across sectors and maintain systems that protect both people and animals.
Regional progress
Chile’s achievement builds on decades of coordinated efforts across the Americas.
Since 1983, human cases of dog-mediated rabies in the region have declined by more than 98%, with only a small number of cases reported annually.
The achievement also supports PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which seeks to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.
Rabies remains a major global health concern, particularly in Asia and Africa, where dog-transmitted infections cause tens of thousands of deaths each year.
The disease is almost always fatal once clinical symptoms develop, but human deaths can be prevented through dog vaccination, effective surveillance and timely post-exposure prophylaxis.
Chile’s experience also reflects the One Health approach, which brings together human, animal, and environmental health sectors to prevent and control diseases that can spread between animals and people.
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