Introduction
Rabies is a contagious, dangerous, highly deadly disease common to
humans and animals. The disease exists in many countries around the
world, including Iran (1). The neurotropic virus is a member of the
genus Lesaviruses and belongs to the Rhabdoviridae family. Most
warm-blooded animals are susceptible to this disease. The virus is
specifically present in the saliva of infected mammals and is
transmitted by its bite. Once the virus enters the host central nervous
system, progressive encephalomyelitis develops (2).
According to World Health Organization, more than 2.5 billion people
live in areas at risk of rabies. The death toll from rabies is estimated
at 59,000, and the number of people vaccinated against the disease is
more than 15 million. Children aged 5-15 are at higher risk (3). Despite
the efforts made to strengthen the rabies care and control system in the
country, managing this disease is challenging. it is endemic and still
highly prevalent in the country, and is still one of the important
health challenges. All provinces are under infected with this disease,
according to the Pasteur Institute of Iran has been increasing (4).
Coronavirus infected millions, and the WHO declared it a pandemic on
March 11, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 entered Iran in February 2017. The rapid
spread of Covid-19 disease in all countries has caused countless human
and financial losses. Governments have been forced to implement policies
such as quarantine and social distancing, and efforts to monitor and
control other areas of public health, including rabies, have diminished
(5). A study in Peru has shown that the Covid-19 disease has been linked
to the spread of rabies and failure to take care of rabies prevention
activities has serious effects on rabies and, consequently, on the risk
of rabies in humans (6).
Here is a case study of a 13-year-old boy with a history of being bitten
by a rabid fox. After his death, Covid-19 test was reported positive,
thus emphasizing the importance of the care system in a pandemic
situation.