Wildlife Rabies: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that infects the central nervous system and has afflicted
humankind for millennia. Though vaccines have largely stopped the threat of the disease in the
developed world, complete eradication of the disease is only possible through the vaccination of
wildlife. Efforts to do so have involved population control, oral vaccines, and the trap-vaccinaterelease method. However, these vaccines are limited to certain species and difficult to distribute globally, so rabies is still rampant in Asia and Africa. This literature review discusses the history of rabies vaccination in wildlife, its effectiveness around the world, and what new technology scientists are developing to combat rabies in wildlife.