The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recorded a threefold increase in the number of people seeking post-exposure vaccine for rabies since 2000, suggesting that more UK travellers may be putting themselves at risk of contact with potentially rabid animals.
A retrospective analysis of calls received by the HPA’s rabies office during the period July 2008 to June 2009 was undertaken to examine the characteristics of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) administration in England and Wales. During that period the agency received 897 calls to the HPA’s rabies office which resulted in issue of PEP. The audit also showed that there were seasonal variations in requests for PEP with peaks in September, January and April coinciding with the main British holiday periods. Results from the audit suggest that the increase in the use of PEP is likely to reflect increasing travel to rabies endemic countries. More than half of potential exposures occurred in Asia, in particular in India, Thailand and Turkey. In Morocco, South Africa and Thailand, monkey exposures were a major contributor.
