Increased public and clinician awareness of rabies after UK death

Abstract

Aims
To identify trends within rabies Post Exposure Treatment (PET) product use for 2025 compared with previous years and highlight potential underlying causes.

Methods
Data from the National Immunisation Office (NIO) was analysed retrospectively. The years 2020-2022 had low ordering due to COVID-19 so the years 2019, 2023 and 2024 were averaged in a ‘baseline year’. Statistical analyses calculated absolute and percentage increases of rabies PET product use in 2025 compared to previous years.

Results
Ireland saw a sharp increase of 643 units (249%) in rabies vaccine and 103 units (368%) Human Rabies Immunoglobulin (HRIG) use in 2025 compared to the baseline year.

Conclusion
This trend may be associated with heightened clinician and public awareness of rabies prone exposure (RPE) and recent changes to service delivery. External factors including resurgence of travel following COVID-19, a UK rabies related death in June 2025 and global rabies product shortage may compound this.