In Ukraine, medical technological documents have been developed for providing care to patients with rabies.
The standard of medical care "Rabies" has been entered into the Register of MTD (the document was approved by order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated 15.05.2026 No. 635, but will enter into force on 01 January 2027), as well as the evidence-based clinical guideline based on WHO recommendations, "Clinical management of persons at risk of infection with rabies virus and of rabies disease".
Methodological support and information provision during the development of the documents were carried out by specialists of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
The new standard defines unified approaches to the provision of emergency, primary and specialized medical care in case of rabies infection.
The document covers:
- organization of medical care
- assessment of the risk of infection
- algorithm for treating wounds and bites
- schedule for post-exposure prophylaxis
- management of patients with rabies
- pre-exposure prophylaxis for risk groups
Administration of a course of rabies vaccine is currently the only effective method of preventing the development of the disease after contact with a potentially infected animal.
Rabies prevention and control in Ukraine are carried out within the framework of the One Health approach, which provides for interaction between the healthcare system, the veterinary service and epidemiological surveillance.
For information, rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease that, after the onset of clinical symptoms, is fatal in almost 100% of cases. The main sources of infection in Ukraine remain wild carnivores, as well as stray and domestic cats and dogs.
According to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in 2025 there were 2531 reports of rabies infection. In wartime conditions, the risks of the disease spreading increase due to the growing number of abandoned and unvaccinated animals.
The text of the standard and the clinical guideline can be found at the link https://www.dec.gov.ua/mtd/skaz/
