More Dutch tourists worried that they have contracted rabies

The number of reports of Dutch people who think they have contracted rabies is continuing to rise, according to the Dutch emergency center Eurocross.

Thus far this year, there have been over 500 reports of people who suspect they have picked up the deadly infection. This is an increase of 21 percent compared to the previous year. The number of reports also rose in the previous two years.

Most reports this year came from people who have visited Indonesia, Thailand, and “somewhat less obvious” Turkey, said the emergency center. The number of reports coming from Turkey has increased by 29 percent compared to a year earlier.

In Turkey, immunoglobulin is often not given to unvaccinated people with a bleeding bite to prevent infection, said Floriana Luppino, a doctor at Eurocross. In such cases, people have to rush back to the Netherlands.

“The recent rise in reports shows that even popular holiday destinations are not without risk,” says Angela Looyé of Eurocross. Yet many people traveling to places like Turkey don’t get vaccinated, “simply because they are unaware of the risk.”

People often contract rabies through dog bites, but cats, bats, and monkeys can also carry the virus and transmit it via bites, scratches, or licks, Eurocross said.

Rabies occurs in more than 150 countries, including parts of Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. Approximately 60,000 people die from the disease each year.