International Journal of Food, Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences ISSN: 2277-209X (Online) An Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jfav.htm 2012 Vol. 2 (2) May-August, pp.16-21/Singh et al. Research Article 16 DECREASING TREND OF ADVERSE EFFECTS OF RABIES VACCINATION *Singh C.K., Bansal K., Dandale M. and Pranoti Sharma Department of Veterinary Pathology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab *Author for Correspondence ABSTRACT Rabies, since times immemorial, continues to be a cause of serious concern. It is acute progressive encephalitis with a fatal outcome. From being a significant zoonotic disease, this disease assumes the status of a public health hazard with dog being the principal perpetuator. Prophylactic treatments for rabies got initiated in 1885 with thoughtful approach by Louis Pasteur, which later got evolved in order to ensure higher protection and lower incidence of side effects. Today, treatments of pre and post-exposure to the virus are well established, with excellent results of protection for individuals exposed to animals potentially contaminated by the rabies virus. These treatments consist of employing a vaccine solely or in combination with equine immunoglobulin, what contributes, in an important way, to the decrease in the number of cases of rabies. Key Words: Immunoglobulin, Prophylaxis, Rabies, Side Effects, Vaccine INTRODUCTION Rabies is acute progressive encephalitis with fatal outcome caused by virus of the family Rhabdoviridae and genus Lyssavírus, which primarily affects animals with humans being the accidental dead ends (Wiktor et al., 1964). Rabies figures even in Greek mythology, where there are significant reports of this disease along with some of its peculiarities. Initially, there was also a time when rabies was attributed to supernatural phenomena; of spiritual manifestation or to meteorological modifications, thus rabies continued to be an object of fascination, torment as well as of fear (Fishbien and Robinson, 1993). Aristotle, in the 4th century BC, considered rabies as a disease transmissible by bites between animals. Democritus, a Greek philosopher, described it in detail for the first time in 5 th century BC. Later, in the first century AD, Celsus again described several aspects of this disease logically emphasized the significance of the rabid animals' saliva in the transmission to man (Steele and Fernades, 1991). Further, Hippocrates referred to rabies encephalitis relating animals and humans. Throughout the human history, rabies has been described as a threat to human being's life. Since historical period, dog has been identified with infecting humans with rabies. Since the Greek's descriptions, however, the symptoms of rabies converted to a synonym of human disease. Yet, it is true even today that occurrence of rabies in domesticated animals eventually makes humans at the high risk of exposure to the virus (Hensley, 1998). Therefore, it can be very well inferred that human rabies eradication depends fundamentally on animal rabies control (Wilde et al., 1991). In rural as well as urban cycle, dog is the main transmitter; has still not been controlled in several countries. Study of the worldwide distribution of rabies, it is revealed that higher incidence occurs in areas where there is lower control programs efficiency which eventually leads to higher contact between man and animals. At times, even this does not hold true. In case of Brazil, despite the great advances in rabies control, there is still incidence of this disease in the northern, northeastern, central-western, and in some states of the southeastern region, though the southern region is considered a controlled area. Notifications of rabies have been decreasing in Brazil since the 1980's. From 1969 to 1988, in São Paulo, there was a great decrease in the number of cases of human and animal rabies until its total eradication in 1987. According to the National Health Foundation, 26 cases were recorded and confirmed in Brazil in