9th WHO Expert Committee on Rabies
Guidance for preparation of the draft ninth report of the WHO Expert Committee on Rabies
The 11 EDG (Editorial Group) leaders together with the WHO Secretariat
will form the “9th ECR Editorial Board”.
Each of the EDG leaders for her/his EDG theme is expected to:
1. Review very carefully the chapters in the eighth report (1992) of the WHO Expert Committee on Rabies that are relevant to the individual themes. Please note our suggestions below.
Theme 1: “Preventive immunization and post-exposure prophylaxis”
- Chapter 2 “Advances in rabies research”: sections 2.4 and 2.5 may also be considered in this discussion group and the leaders in Theme 1, in collaboration with the leaders of Theme 4, may wish to review section 2.5 “New substances for PET and new Post-exposure vaccination regimens”
- Chapter 4 “Rabies vaccines”: section 4.1 on general considerations, section 4.2 on rabies vaccines for humans, 4.4 safety
- Chapter 7 “Prevention of rabies in humans”: in its entirety
- Chapter 8 “Treatment of confirmed rabies in humans” should be updated
- Annex 2 “Guide for post-exposure treatment”
- Annex 3 “Suggested rabies vaccination certificate for humans"
- Annex 8 “Suggested case-record form for human exposure to rabies"
Theme 2: “Requirements for rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins“
- Chapter 4 “Rabies vaccines”
- Chapter 5 “Reference material and virus strains"
- Chapter 6 “Procedures for licensing and release of inactivated tissue-culture vaccines”
- Annex 1 “Suggestions for the use of antigen quantification tests for the release of human and veterinary rabies vaccines”
Theme 3: “Definition of a rabies free area”
- Chapter 9 “National programmes for control of rabies in dogs”: section 9.2 on surveillance and 9.5 on international co-operation
- Chapter 11 “International transfer of animals”: section 11.2, note particularly where the current definition is stated
- Chapter 12 “Exchange of information and training in rabies”: especially section 12.1
- Annex 7 “…International surveillance and information exchange on rabies”
Theme 4: “Classification of Lyssaviruses”
- Chapter 2 “Advances in rabies research”: particularly sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4.1
- Section 2.5: “New substances for PET and new post-exposure vaccination regimens” possibly to be revised under the same heading
Theme 5: “Rabies control in dogs”
- Chapter 4 “Rabies vaccines”. A repeat of the sections of chapter 4 on “Rabies vaccines” dealing with parenteral and oral vaccines for dogs may also be useful here
- Chapter 9 “National programmes for the control of rabies in dogs” is the most relevant chapter
- Annex 4 “Technical and managerial considerations in planning, implementing and evaluating a national programme for the control of rabies in dogs”
- Annex 5 “Addresses of international institutions for technical co-operation in rabies control”
Theme 6: “Rabies control in wildlife”
- Chapter 10 “Control of rabies in wild animals”: particularly sections 4.3.2 and 4.4.2 dealing with oral vaccines for wildlife
Theme 7: “Burden of rabies and advocacy for rabies prevention and control”
- This is a new theme to be developed from scratch.
Theme 8: “Diagnosis”
- Section 3: both clinical and laboratory based diagnoses.
2. Using current published and unpublished information, bring these sections and annexes up-to-date by citing the published and unpublished articles/documents that substantiate the suggested modifications. The resulting document will be the “First Provisional Draft”. Each EDG leader may wish to contact a number of specialists/experts to ascertain all salient points are covered and well documented.
3. Submit a modified version of the first draft (named “Second Provisional Draft”) to the widest possible number of competent persons for review. The number of rabies experts used for review of the document is the EDG leader’s choice. It should involve individuals from as many developed and developing countries as possible and no country should be over-represented.
4. Consider proposed suggestions for changes and amend the text as per the EDG leader's judgement to produce the “Third Provisional Draft”.
At any time during the entire process EDG leaders may wish to consult the “Editorial Board” for the ECR through WHO if she/he thinks a specific suggestion necessitates discussion by the board.
It should be noted that the length of the entire final report is limited to about 70 pages plus annexes. The very first draft of the relevant section of the “pre-meeting” report is likely to be much longer; however it should be borne in mind that length will eventually be an issue. Keeping this in mind from the beginning, suggested texts should be as concise as possible. It may be necessary to introduce new paragraphs and delete others. A complete re-organization of the pre-meeting report may be advisable when all chapters and sections are available.
The provisonal time-table is as follows:
- Preparation and completion of the First Provisional Draft: 31 December 2003
- Editorial changes and completion of the Second Provisional Draft: 31 March 2004
- Editorial changes and completion of the Third Provisional Draft: 30 June 2004
Thank you very much for your continued co-operation in the preparation of this very important event.
F.-X. Meslin
Team Coordinator “Zoonoses, Food-borne Diseases and Kinetoplastidae”
Department for Communicable Diseases Control, Prevention and Eradication
World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Secretary of the 9th WHO Expert Committee on Rabies