Chile Becomes First South American Country to Eliminate Dog-Transmitted Rabies
WHO validates 50 years without a human case — and the systems that kept it that way.
The World Health Organization has validated Chile as the first country in South America — and only the third in the world after Mexico and Bhutan — to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies as a public health problem.
Chile's last human case of dog-mediated rabies was in 1972. Validation required proof that surveillance, laboratories, mass dog and cat vaccination, and post-exposure prophylaxis are still working and can stop the disease coming back.
Health minister Dr May Chomalí credited municipalities, zoonosis teams, and communities as much as national policy. Door-to-door vaccination, targeted dog population management, free mass vaccination, and timely treatment after bites built the result over five decades.
Across the Americas, human cases of dog-mediated rabies have fallen more than 98% since 1983. Chile's rabies validation is its second neglected tropical disease milestone of 2026; earlier this year it was verified for eliminating leprosy.
Key Facts
- Last Chilean human case of dog-mediated rabies: 1972
- Third country globally to receive WHO rabies validation
- Americas: more than 98% drop in dog-mediated human rabies since 1983
- Rabies still kills tens of thousands a year globally, mostly in Asia and Africa
Why This Matters
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear and is vaccine-preventable. Chile shows elimination is achievable with vaccination, surveillance, and access to care — a One Health template other countries can copy.
What We Don't Know Yet
Wildlife rabies, especially in bats, still circulates. This validation is specifically for dog-transmitted human rabies and must be maintained. It does not reduce deaths where dog vaccination coverage remains low.
Sources: WHO · PAHO
Published 21 September 2026 · Category: Health & Medicine