Here Are The Countries With The Highest Rabies Risk As Doctors Warn UK Holidaymakers

You should check before taking a trip, Dr Williams advises.
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Lifestyle Writer

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Eva Darron via Unsplash
Plane window

Speaking on This Morning, Dr Zoe Williams recently advised holiday makers to “check which countries you’re at risk for rabies.”

Whether you’ll be going for a long period of time, expecting to work with animals, or hoping to try some running or cycling abroad, you’ll want to get a series of vaccines to protect against rabies, she added.

The condition, which “typically takes two to three months” and even as long as a year to show symptoms, is often fatal once signs appear, the NHS says.

It is spread by mammals, including dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes, the health service adds. In the UK, it’s (rarely) seen in bats.

Dr William warned, “If you are scratched by an animal, bitten by an animal, in one of these countries, you must seek immediate attention... even if you’re flying home the next day.”

If you are unsure about the guidance for the country you’re visiting, the NHS says you should contact a travel health clinic at least eight weeks before you go.

Which countries carry the highest rabies risk?

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have shared a list of the highest-risk countries based on “the presence or absence of rabies in domestic and wild animals, surveillance systems in place, and consideration of UK traveller behaviour.”

These are:

High Risk

  • Afghanistan

  • Albania

  • Algeria

  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands

  • Angola

  • Argentina

  • Armenia

  • Azerbaijan

  • Bali

  • Bangladesh

  • Belarus

  • Belize

  • Benin

  • Bhutan

  • Bolivia

  • Borneo

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Botswana

  • Brazil

  • Burkina Faso

  • Burma

  • Burundi

  • Cambodia

  • Cameroon

  • Central African Republic

  • Ceuta (a north African territory of Spain)

  • Chad

  • China

  • Colombia

  • Comoros

  • Congo (Republic)

  • Congo (Democratic Republic of)

  • Costa Rica

  • Côte d’Ivoire

  • Cuba

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Djibouti

  • Dominican Republic

  • East Timor

  • Ecuador

  • Egypt

  • El Salvador

  • Equatorial Guinea

  • Eritrea

  • Ethiopia

  • French Guiana

  • Gabon

  • The Gambia

  • Georgia

  • Ghana

  • Greenland

  • Guatemala

  • Guinea

  • Guinea-Bissau

  • Guyana

  • Haiti

  • Honduras

  • India

  • Indonesia

  • Iran

  • Iraq

  • Israel

  • Jan Mayen and Svalbard (Norway)

  • Jordan

  • Kazakhstan

  • Kenya

  • Korea, North

  • Korea, South

  • Kosovo

  • Kyrgyzstan

  • Laos

  • Lebanon

  • Lesotho

  • Liberia

  • Libya

  • Lithuania

  • Macau SAR

  • Macedonia

  • Madagascar

  • Malawi

  • Malaysia

  • Mali

  • Margarita Island

  • Mauritania

  • Melilla (north African territory of Spain)

  • Mexico

  • Moldova

  • Mongolia

  • Montenegro

  • Morocco

  • Mozambique

  • Myanmar (Burma)

  • Namibia

  • Nepal

  • Nicaragua

  • Niger

  • Nigeria

  • Oman

  • Pakistan

  • Palestine

  • Panama

  • Paraguay

  • Peru

  • Philippines

  • Poland

  • Puerto Rico

  • Republic of Korea (South Korea)

  • Romania

  • Russian Federation

  • Rwanda

  • Saudi Arabia

  • Senegal

  • Serbia

  • Sierra Leone

  • Somalia

  • South Africa

  • South Sudan

  • Spain (north African territories of Ceuta and Melilla)

  • Sri Lanka

  • Sudan

  • Suriname

  • Svalbard

  • Swaziland

  • Syria

  • Tajikistan

  • Tanzania

  • Thailand

  • Tibet

  • Timor-Leste

  • Togo

  • Tunisia

  • Türkiye

  • Turkmenistan

  • Uganda

  • Ukraine

  • Uruguay

  • Uzbekistan

  • Venezuela

  • Vietnam

  • Western Sahara

  • Yemen

  • Zambia

  • Zanzibar

  • Zimbabwe

Low Risk

  • Bahrain

  • Brunei Darussalam

  • Bulgaria (foxes, however, carry a high risk)

  • Canada (foxes, skunks, raccoons, however, carry a high risk)

  • Chile

  • Croatia (foxes carry high risk)

  • Czech Republic (within 50km of Poland/Slovakia) (foxes carry high risk)

  • Estonia

  • Grenada

  • Hong Kong

  • Hungary (foxes carry high risk)

  • Kuwait

  • Latvia (foxes carry high risk)

  • Qatar

  • Slovakia (foxes carry high risk)

  • Slovenia (foxes carry high risk)

  • Taiwan

  • Trinidad and Tobago

  • United Arab Emirates

  • United Kingdom (low risk in bats)

  • United States of America (foxes, skunks, raccoons carry high risk)

All other countries mentioned had no risk.

What should I do if I’m going to a high-risk country?

As Dr Williams said, get your rabies vaccination as soon as possible.

And as the NHS shared, you should contact a travel health clinic long before you go if you’re unsure about the best way to prepare.

Washing your skin with soap and water as soon as you come into contact with an animal can be helpful, though you should still get urgent medical care.

You should be given a series of post-exposure rabies vaccines if you have been exposed.

Find out where you’ll be able to get medical help if you’re travelling to a high-risk country, the NHS adds.

Don’t touch any animals, including strays and zoo animals, in high-risk countries ― even a lick from an infected animal can transmit rabies.

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