Chile Achieves Historic Milestone: First South American Nation to Eliminate Dog Rabies

Key points

• WHO validated Chile’s elimination of dog-transmitted rabies on September 14, 2026, marking the first such achievement in South America.
• The last reported human case of dog-to-human rabies in Chile occurred in 1972, preceding over five decades of continuous prevention and surveillance.
• Chile’s success relied on a National Rabies Prevention and Control Programme featuring free mass vaccination for dogs and cats, epidemiological surveillance, and accessible post-exposure prophylaxis.
• The validation process required Chile to submit a technical dossier reviewed by an independent international expert group to confirm the country’s capacity to prevent the disease from re-emerging.
• Chilean Health Minister May Chomali credited municipalities, zoonosis teams, and community participation for the sustained public health outcomes.

Background

This milestone aligns with broader regional progress; human cases of dog-mediated rabies in the Americas have dropped by over 98% since 1983. Chile’s achievement is its second elimination of a neglected tropical disease, following its earlier verification for leprosy elimination earlier in 2026. While the Americas lead in this area, global rabies deaths remain high, with nearly 60,000 people killed annually, primarily in Asia and Africa.

How outlets are covering it

Both ABC News and the WHO emphasize the critical role of sustained public investment and community engagement. ABC News highlights the CDC’s note that rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear but preventable through vaccination. The WHO provides a more technical perspective, detailing the rigorous validation criteria, including laboratory diagnostics and border-area risk assessments. While ABC focuses on the historical timeline (last case in 1972), the WHO stresses the ongoing need for surveillance to prevent reintroduction, noting that Chile has recently strengthened risk assessment capacities in high-risk border areas.

Why it matters

Chile’s validation serves as a proof of concept for the 'One Health' approach, demonstrating that coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health sectors can eliminate deadly zoonotic diseases. It provides a replicable model for other countries, particularly in regions where dog-transmitted rabies remains a significant cause of preventable death, and supports the Pan American Health Organization’s goal to eliminate over 30 communicable diseases by 2030.

What to watch

Chile will continue to maintain its National Rabies Prevention and Control Programme, including free mass vaccination campaigns and community-based surveillance. The WHO and PAHO will likely use Chile’s technical dossier and strategies to guide other nations in their disease elimination efforts, particularly focusing on strengthening post-exposure prophylaxis access and laboratory diagnostic capacities in at-risk regions.