Rabies in Uruguay: An Historical Review

Although rabies may have been present among wildlife reservoirs in Uruguay much earlier, the disease was not appreciated until the nineteenth century. Historically, this Río de la Plata region was a large territory that was colonized rather late by Europeans, apparently because it lacked the comparative desired riches such as those found in Peru and Mexico. Added to this, the indigenous populations were less concentrated than the empires in Mesoamerica and the Andes, so their conquest was not considered as a major priority. After the introduction of European livestock and based on the climatic and prairie (pampas) conditions, agricultural wealth was generated that led to more interest of both the Spanish and Portuguese for their domain. Accompanying this process, diseases such as smallpox and canine rabies were introduced, generating serious consequences for both human and animal health. Lacking any reservoirs besides Homo sapiens, smallpox was eradicated, however, given its polyhostality, rabies continues to be a challenge worldwide. The introduction of rabies into the Oriental Republic of Uruguay occurred during the English invasions of 1807, until then apparently being unknown in the region. The main reservoir of the virus was the dog and the disease occurred with epizootic and sporadic outbreaks, until 1949. In 1950, due to a strong campaign to control the disease and eliminate stray dogs, the country was declared free of canine rabies. In 1964, the disease reappeared in an epizootic form in dogs, in various locations throughout the country, causing the death of 3 people. The outbreak was controlled in 1968, and after some sporadic cases up to 1983, there have been no additional cases of canine rabies reported. In 2007, the disease was diagnosed for the first time in domestic livestock, by rabies virus transmitted via the hematophagous vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus. In 2008, the presence of the virus was reported in populations of urban and suburban insectivorous bats in several government departments. The situation of enzootic rabies in those populations represents a significant risk of potential viral transmission to other animals, especially pets (such as cats) in contact with these bats (and therefore a direct public health concern). The historical and future importance of disease prevention is highlighted in this brief review, with recommendations for strengthening laboratory-based surveillance and consequent vaccination programs with integrated inter-institutional actions.