Rabix-VC(International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh)

Rabies is a viral infectious disease of mammals including humans. Early symptoms of rabies include fever and tingling at the site of exposure, followed by one or more symptoms such as fear of water, violent movements, confusion, uncontrolled excitement, inability to move parts of the body, and loss of consciousness. Once symptoms of the disease develop, rabies is invariably fatal. It is one of the oldest human diseases. It continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries. Rabies is the 10th biggest cause of death due to infectious diseases worldwide. Rabies is endemic in Bangladesh with high public health significance and ranked third highest among rabies-endemic countries for human rabies deaths. In Bangladesh, an estimated 200 000 animal bite cases with more than 2000 human rabies deaths are reported annually. Most importantly, most of the victims are children below 15 years old coming from poor rural communities.
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease and is highly effective when given pre- or post-exposure to a bite from a potentially rabid animal. Currently there is no locally manufactured Rabies vaccine available in Bangladesh. The results of this study will provide information regarding the immunogenicity and safety of the locally manufactured Rabies vaccine 'Rabix VC' as a test vaccine using 'Rabipur' as a comparator vaccine in a non inferiority study design.