The recent death of two men from rabies is a reminder that the disease is still rampant abroad. Both men, in their 60s, were bitten by dogs in the Philippines. The first man, from Kyoto, died on Nov. 17, and the second man, from Yokohama, died on Dec. 7. Sadly, they would have lived had they gotten vaccinations after being bitten.
In Japan, the scourge of rabies has been almost forgotten. The last domestic infection occurred in 1954. The last infection abroad involving a Japanese occurred in 1970 when a man was bitten by a dog in Nepal and died after returning to Japan.
The incubation period of rabies is one to three months and once symptoms appear, the death rate is almost 100 percent. Almost all mammals can be carriers of the rabies virus. Therefore if travelers are bitten by mammals abroad, they should immediately receive rabies vaccinations at local hospitals. If travelers plan to stay for a lengthy period in remote areas, they might consider getting vaccinated before they leave Japan.