Foreign Office 135 countries 'high risk' list as vaccination supplies for lethal virus low in UK

Health professionals told they may need to prioritise who gets rabies vaccine

11:13, 13 Apr 2026

[The Travel health Pro site sent an alert to health professionals over low levels of rabies vaccinations]

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The Travel health Pro site has sent an alert to health professionals over low levels of rabies vaccinations(Image: Getty)

UK health officials have warned of a shortage of a vaccine for Brits going to many overseas destination for a potentially lethal disease. The Foreign Office-backed Travel Health Pro website said that the virus is nearly always fatal in humans meaning vaccination before going to hotspots is vital.

It said that two types of rabies vaccine are currently in short supply - Bavarian Nordic: Rabipur and Sanofi: Verorab. And it warned of the dangers of the disease and how its caught: Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral infection spread mostly by contact with the saliva of an infected wild or domestic animal. Transmission occurs mostly through bites, scratches or saliva coming in to contact with broken skin or mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose).

Bats can carry rabies, including in the United Kingdom (UK). In humans, rabies is almost always fatal, once symptoms appear It is preventable by avoiding contact with animals and seeking prompt medical attention after any possible contact.

Travel Health Pro issued advice to doctors that in some cases they would need to prioritise who gets the jab:

Prioritise vaccination for people at highest risk, including:

travellers to endemic areas for long stays
young children
individuals planning to have animal contact such as vets or animal handlers

Travel Health Pro said: "Rabies is a virus carried in animal saliva that usually spreads to humans from a bite, scratch, lick to an open wound from an infected animal (typically a dog). It can also be a risk if an animal spits and saliva gets into the eyes, mouth or nose. The virus attacks the central nervous system, causing progressive damage to the brain and spinal cord.

"Rabies is an extremely serious viral infection which is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but vaccination and early treatment can prevent it. It is important that travellers visiting rabies endemic areas are aware of the risk and know what to do if they are bitten or scratched.

"Human rabies cases are often unreported, so it is difficult to give reliable information on how common it is worldwide. The disease is estimated to cause 59,000 human deaths annually.

"Cases of rabies in travellers are rare but are invariably fatal. Bites and scratches from potentially rabid animals occur more frequently and it is often difficult to determine whether an animal is infected."

For Travel Health Pro Rabies advice click here.

Travellers should also be advised:

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not to approach animals (or bats)
not to attempt to pick up an unusually tame animal or one that appears to be unwell (or bats)
not to attract stray animals by offering food or by being careless with litter
to be aware that certain activities may attract dogs (e.g. running, cycling)

Latest Foreign Office list of 'high risk' holiday destinations for rabies

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 (Myanmar)
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Ceuta (North African territory of Spain)
Chad
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo (Republic and Democratic Republic)
Costa Rica
Cte dIvoire
Cuba
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
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
Namibia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Puerto Rico
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland (Eswatini)
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tibet
Togo
Tunisia
Trkiye
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zanzibar
Zimbabwe

To check the latest Foreign Office rabies advice for all countries click here.

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