Sanofi recently launched an inactivated rabies vaccine (Verorab) in the UK for all age groups.

Doctors diagnosed the last case of classical rabies acquired in the UK in 1902 but travellers still need to be wary. The World Health Organization estimates that rabies kills 59,000 people annually in more than 150 countries. 

“Due to under-reporting and uncertain estimates, this number is likely a gross underestimate,” WHO notes. Rabid dogs cause 99 per cent of infections and 95 per cent of cases occur in Africa and Asia. 

Studies of pre-exposure prophylaxis for Verorab used a three-dose regimen followed by a booster after one year. Of those that received the booster, 96.9 per cent maintained a protective antibody response for 10 years. Every person vaccinated with a five-dose post-exposure regimen after being bitten by a rabid animal was alive three years later.

Since the first approval, in France in 1985, Sanofi says that 41-70 million people have received the vaccine in more than 80 countries. Common side-effects include injection site pain, malaise and headache.