From Invasion to Innovation – A History of Rabies and Its Management in Canada

Rabies has been present in Canada for over 200 years, though systematic record keeping for both human and animal cases at the federal level was not commonplace until 1926. Records since that time have demonstrated that human cases are rare compared to historical figures from other countries in the Americas. This statistic reflects that dog rabies never became established in the country despite repeated introductions from the United States and Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. During the 1950s, rabies in wildlife emerged as a major concern, with the invasion of fox rabies into southern Canada from the northern territories, as well as introduction of skunk rabies into the prairie provinces from the United States. The new century witnessed multiple incursions of raccoon rabies in eastern Canada from bordering States. This chapter provides an overview of human and animal rabies in Canada, the legislation governing its surveillance, the evolution of laboratory testing for case detection, and the key partners and strategies utilized over time for rabies management and control. The important contributions of Canada with respect to development of diagnostics, research, and wildlife rabies control tactics, and how these have contributed to the successful management of rabies in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, are highlighted. The chapter concludes by identifying the challenges that Canada faces to preserve the gains that have been achieved in the understanding, laboratory-based surveillance, prevention, and control of rabies.