Rabies in South Africa and the FIFA Soccer World Cup : travelers awareness for an endemic but neglected disease

Rabies is endemic on every continent except Antarctica and is also considered to be a significant health problem in Africa, including South Africa. With the upcoming FIFA Soccer World Cup to be held in 2010 in cities throughout South Africa, this review depicts the rabies situation in South Africa and discusses what travelers visiting the games should know about rabies and rabies prophylaxis before or after an exposure to a potential rabid animal occurs.