Rabies transmitted by dogs kills a shocking 59,000 people every year in the world, hitting poor regions especially hard, with a full third of the deaths coming in India.

A report by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control says that more should be done to vaccinate dogs, especially in low-income countries, and vaccines for bite victims should be made more affordable and readily available, according to a BBC report.

Rabies, a viral infection, is a preventable disease that can infect all mammals but is especially common in dogs, which cause 99 percent of human deaths.

Developed countries have largely eliminated rabies from dog populations, but it’s a problem in developing countries where domestic dogs are poorly controlled.

The report found that 160 people die every day from rabies, with most of them happening in Asia — 60 percent of deaths. Most of the rest are in Africa at 36 percent.

India accounts for 35 percent of human rabies deaths, the leader in all countries.

The ratio of dogs that are vaccinated in Asian and African countries is typically far below what is necessary to control rabies, which is best done by vaccinating dogs. But that’s not all that needs to be done: vaccines for humans need to be readily available as well.

In the study, the authors wrote that collaborative investments by the medical and veterinary community could “dramatically reduce” the “unnecessary burden of rabies.”

In addition, the study found that rabies costs the world $8.6 billion in premature deaths, both in lost income and spending on vaccines.

Rabies is a viral disease that results in acute inflammation of the brain in humans and other animals, and symptoms include fever and tingling where one has been exposed. The symptoms change to violent movements, excitement, fear of water, and the inability to move certain parts of the body. The symptoms almost always results in death.