Response from the governorship regarding claims of a surge in rabies cases in Istanbul.

Response from the governorship regarding claims of a surge in rabies cases in Istanbul.

23.02.2026 08:21

The Istanbul Governorship announced that reports and shares regarding an increase in rabies cases in the city do not reflect the truth. It was stated that the last rabies case was seen in 2007, and the 123,538 vaccinations administered in 2025 were for precautionary purposes.

The Istanbul Governorship made a written statement regarding the news and posts in some media and social media platforms titled "Explosion of rabies cases in Istanbul."

"DATA PREPARED BASED ON VACCINATIONS"

In the statement, it was noted that the mentioned content was prepared based on the number of rabies vaccinations conducted in Istanbul, and it was expressed that these comments do not reflect the truth.

LAST RABIES CASE REPORTED IN 2007

The governorship reported that the last rabies case in Istanbul was seen in 2007, and since that date, no rabies diagnosis has been made on any animal in the city. The statement indicated that a total of 123,538 rabies vaccinations were administered throughout Istanbul in 2025, and it was recorded that all of these vaccinations were precautionary.

It was stated that some of the precautionary vaccinations were administered after attacks by stray animals, while others were due to situations such as scratches from owned animals or contact with saliva.

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