The World Health Organisation (WHO) has validated Bhutan’s progress towards eliminating dog-mediated human rabies, following an expert assessment of the country’s surveillance and rabies-control programmes.
The validation follows a field mission conducted by an international team of experts from August 18 to 21, 2026, to independently assess Bhutan’s claim of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies.
According to the WHO, the team reviewed surveillance and programme data, conducted field visits and assessed the implementation of rabies-control measures across the country.
The experts also engaged stakeholders from both the human and animal health sectors as part of the verification process.
Following the assessment, the team confirmed Bhutan’s significant progress and provided recommendations aimed at helping the country sustain its achievements.
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that affects the central nervous system and is almost invariably fatal once clinical symptoms appear.
WHO says dogs remain responsible for the vast majority of human rabies deaths globally, making mass dog vaccination, surveillance, public awareness and access to post-exposure prophylaxis critical components of elimination efforts.
Bhutan’s progress has been supported by sustained dog vaccination and population-management measures, alongside coordination between veterinary and public health authorities.
The WHO said the latest assessment represents an important milestone in Bhutan’s efforts to protect its population from dog-mediated rabies while stressing the need for continued surveillance and prevention measures.
The country’s experience also highlights the importance of a One Health approach, in which human and animal health authorities work together to prevent zoonotic diseases.
WHO has continued to provide technical guidance to countries developing and implementing national rabies-elimination strategies.
