Reference: Rabies still deadly, Bangkok Post, September 23, 2008

Apparently 300,000 people seek rabies vaccinations in Thailand annually (Rabies still deadly, Bangkok Post, September 23, 2008). Each vaccination episode requires a series of five shots over a thirty-day period and costs over 1,500 baht. The cost for 300,000 such vaccinations is at least 450 million baht not counting indirect costs. Dogs are the most common hosts of rabies and dog bites are the usual reason for these vaccinations. The country is populated by a large number of feral dogs with no apparent owner or organized management. They run free on the roadways and byways as well as in forested areas. At night and in the early morning, they run in packs and often attack pedestrians and bicyclists. This state of affairs has been relegated to the mai-pen-rai department and is apparently not considered to be a social or public health issue by the authorities.

Cha-am Jamal
Thailand