Dog rabies in Bangkok.

Canine rabies remains a serious public health problem in Thailand. The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (QSMI) of the Thai Red Cross Society is the principal rabies diagnostic center in central Thailand. The retrospective study of canine rabies cases collected between 1994-1999 revealed that: (1) The prevalence of rabid dogs has decreased, and was associated with an overall decrease in the number of animals submitted for examination. However, the percentages of dogs with positive Fluorescent antibody test (FA) remained the same at approximately 40 per cent. (2) About 62 per cent of rabid dogs were less than one year old. Dogs at this age are more active and most have not been adequately vaccinated. Approximately 80 per cent of rabid dogs had never been vaccinated against rabies.