World Rabies Day: One Health, Zero Deaths
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Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen a regression on a number of goals: the UN Sustainable Development Goals for one, but also, the goal of eliminating rabies in people.
World Rabies Day has been commemorated on September 28 for 15 years. This year’s theme – One Health, Zero Deaths – is not only an allusion to the global strategic plan to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030, but a reminder of why a “One Health” approach is integral to tackling this disease.
Indeed, progress has been made. In regions such as Latin America, rabies has been nearly wiped out due to successful canine immunization campaigns. Vietnam and India are also taking strides, with both countries having recently launched national action plans to tackle rabies in dogs.
Despite improvements, however, experts warn that the 2030 target for zero cases may slip away without renewed action. Each year, almost 60,000 people die of rabies and dogs account for 99 per cent of human cases.
This is entirely preventable through rabies control strategies, starting with effective vaccination programmes, access to veterinary care and dog population management.
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A "One Health" approach is the answer to eliminating rabies
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Rabies is a disease that people and animals alike can suffer from, but it is entirely preventable. To get back on track and reach zero human deaths resulting from rabies by 2030, a “One Health” approach must be taken.
Here’s how:
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1) Invest: Investing in canine vaccination programmes as part of a public health policy is the first – and most important – step to controlling rabies. Last year, Vietnam announced a draft national plan on rabies prevention and control for 2022 – 2030, while the Indian state of Goa succeeded in its elimination of human rabies and reduced cases in dogs by 92 per cent, saving more than 2,000 years of life that might otherwise have been lost to the disease.
2) Educate: Educating children and their entire communities about rabies and its risks helps spread awareness on the connection between animal and human health, as well as the importance of vaccinations. In the Philippines, rabies education has been integrated into the school curriculum to help children learn about the zoonotic disease, how to take care of pets, and what to do in case of a bite.
3) Vaccinate: The cornerstone of eliminating rabies must be vaccination, and, in particular, taking a collaborative approach in doing so. For example, developing systems that monitor both dog bites and rabies can help inform vaccination programmes and public health policies more broadly. In addition, innovative initiatives such as using oral vaccines for free-roaming dogs instead of injectable shots can help reduce rabies in low-income countries where the disease is especially rife and access to veterinary care may vary.
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Human and animal health, and the environment are all connected, and what affects one affects the other. This interconnected system comes with opportunities to strengthen human and animal health – and our wider environment. But this interconnectedness can also give rise to shared challenges, such as rabies.
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“We have the vaccines – we know they work, how is it possible that so many people still die from this painful, long known disease?”
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Professor Louis Nel, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Rabies Control
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Did you know that vaccinating just 70 per cent of dogs can break the rabies transmission cycle by creating herd immunity?
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Learn more about the current state of pet, vet and owner wellbeing – including the impact of the pandemic on ownership – in our latest Pet Health Report.
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