Lilongwe, Malawi

Last June, VWB/VSF- Canada was invited by World University Service Canada (WUSC) to sponsor and facilitate a rabies prevention and dog population control workshop at the Mangochi Conference Center in Lilongwe, Malawi. Along with other partners and coordinators, attendees included representatives from the Malawian government: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture (Animal Health), the Ministry of Wildlife, and Animal Control Officers from the eight agricultural districts. The workshop was designed to review the important biological and epidemiological aspects of rabies and to introduce an integrated health, or EcoHealth, approach to rabies prevention and dog population control programs. The workshop was an overwhelming success and a collaborative task force has since been established to work on developing sustainable solutions to the rabies problem in Malawi. The next step will see the newly formed task force, with guidance from VWB/VSF, move their plans into legislation in order to secure much needed funding.

Malawi is a densely populated country of over 14 million people with half the population under 14 years of age, many of whom are HIV/AIDS orphans. Like elsewhere in Africa and Asia, rabies is a neglected disease in Malawi with diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis receiving much more attention. While rabies control programs have been in place for over 10 years, data on the number of human and animal deaths from the disease has been unavailable since 2001. Many rabies deaths go unreported or are misdiagnosed, and the realities of rural life often prevent people from seeking medical assistance. Distance from a clinic may be more than a day’s journey and the cost of travel unaffordable, even if treatment is provided free of charge.

Free-roaming dogs are part of the fabric of community life in Malawi; many are owned by individuals, while others are owned by the village as a whole. Yet the free-roaming dog population is the root-cause of the escalating rabies problem in Malawi. Most people are aware of the risk of rabid dogs, and the fear of being bitten prevents them from venturing from their homes after dark. However rabies has now spilled over into the hyena population and while hyenas are usually cautious of people; rabid hyenas can become fearless and attack people at random. The new task force is determined to eliminate the rabies problem from Malawi, and will continue to work on making communities healthier and safer.