6 July 1885: The day that transformed preventive medicine

On 6th of July 1885 Louis Pasteur administered the first Rabies vaccine to a dog bitten child and since year 2007 the said day is annually observed as World Zoonosis Day. Zoonosis is a disease that can spread between animals and humans. These diseases can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or fungi. Examples include rabies, COVID-19, bird flu, swine flu etc. Zoonotic diseases are major public health concerns. Around 60% of known infectious diseases and 75% of emerging diseases in humans are zoonotic.

Rabies is one of the most important Zoonotic diseases transmitted through bites or scratches of animals especially dogs. Earlier rabies control relied on crude and largely ineffective methods due to limited medical knowledge. A common practice was cauterizing the bite wound with a hot iron or oil in an attempt to purge the “poison.” Herbal remedies made from garlic, wormwood or rue were applied or consumed though they had no real effect on the virus. Magical and superstitious practices were widespread including charms, prayers, and rituals to ward off evil spirits believed to cause the disease. Rabid animals were often killed immediately and those bitten were sometimes isolated or even executed if they showed symptoms.

It was Louis Pasteur a French chemist who pioneered a vaccine for Rabies. Pasteur believed that diseases were caused by microorganisms, and he had been working on ways to prevent them — especially rabies, a virus that attacked the nervous system. Pasteur and his team including Dr. Émile Roux experimented by weakening (attenuating) the rabies virus using infected spinal cords from rabbits, drying them over days. This process reduced the virus’s strength. They tested their vaccine on dogs first and it worked as they became immune to rabies after exposure.

The real test came with a desperate mother when Joseph Meister, a 9 year old boy from Alsace France was badly bitten by a rabid dog on July 4, 1885. Doctors said he would surely die without help. Pasteur was not a licensed physician. So he was initially reluctant. But he bravely proceeded. On July 6, 1885 Pasteur administered the first dose of his rabies vaccine to Joseph Meister. Over 10 days Joseph received 13 injections of increasingly stronger virus strains. Joseph miraculously survived. Infact he never developed rabies, and he lived a full life.

The impact of Louis Pasteur’s rabies vaccine was historic and transformative — not just for rabies, but for the entire field of medicine and public health. Pasteur’s rabies vaccine was the first effective vaccine developed for a viral infection. It proved that viruses could be controlled through attenuated (weakened) pathogens which was a revolutionary idea at the time. It marked a turning point in preventive medicine.

Pasteur laid the foundation for immunology as a science. His method of attenuating viruses influenced future vaccines (polio, measles, influenza, COVID-19). It created a systematic approach to vaccine development. Rabies, once considered untreatable and always fatal, could now be prevented. Deaths from rabies began to decline where the vaccine was available. Public confidence in science and vaccines grew rapidly. The success of the rabies vaccine led to the founding of the Pasteur Institute in Paris. It became the world’s first dedicated biomedical research center and still exists today. It inspired national and international health institutes globally.

Pasteur’s first patient Joseph Meister survived and lived a normal life. By 1900 thousands of lives had already been saved using Pasteur’s vaccine. Today over 29 million people receive post-exposure rabies vaccine each year — thanks to Pasteur’s model. Pasteur’s success reinforced his germ theory changing how we understand disease transmission. This eventually led to antiseptics, sterilization, public sanitation and modern infection control.

Rabies is a dreaded Zoonosis with stray dogs being an important source of transmission to humans. Rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms appear, but it is also 100% preventable with timely vaccination making awareness, early action and vaccination critical. Zoonosis Day offers an opportunity to spread awareness regarding transmission of Zoonotic diseases as we are being surrounded by different species of animals. There is no need to panic but precautions are the key to protection.