Jan. 24, 2009 Most of the rabies virus circulating in dogs in
western and central Africa comes from a common ancestor
introduced to the continent around 200 years ago, probably by
European colonialists. In the current issue of Journal of
General Virology a team of scientists from Africa, USA and
France report that within this common ancestry there are
distinct subspecies at country level and that there is only
limited movement of virus between localities. These factors mean
that, if neighbouring countries collaborate, a progressive
strategy to eliminate rabies from this area of sub-Saharan
Africa is possible. Rabies causes over 24,000 deaths a year in
Africa, mostly in poor rural communities and of children. Rabies
prevention and treatment are costly and the necessary resources
often scarce or inadequate. Controlling rabies in dogs, the main
agents of rabies spread, is therefore an important part of any
rabies eradication programme. The team analysed 182 samples of
dog rabies virus from 27 African countries t