Kathmandu, Nepal
The need for a long term and effective rabies control program in Nepal is urgent. Human rabies in the India and Nepal region contributes to over 50% of worldwide rabies fatalities annually. Responding to the severity of the situation, local agencies and groups have initiated a number of rabies prevention and dog population control programs, however more help is needed.

In June 2008, VWB/VSF supported Dr. Joanna Coote's trip to Kathmandu, Nepal to assess the local canine population and the risk of zoonotic diseases like rabies. To fully understand the complexity of the issues and to devise meaningful long-term goals, Dr. Coote met with local stakeholders, including charitable organizations, government ministries, training centres, and universities. Through these meetings, VWB/VSF partnered with two local veterinary universities to help get a pilot rabies prevention and canine population control project off the ground.

With VWB/VSF’s support, a team led by Dr. Coote returned to Nepal in April 2009 to follow-up on the rabies and canine population control initiatives. During this second trip, the team finalized a long-term action plan that includes supporting grassroots initiatives that are locally developed and maintained.

On this last trip, there were some exciting developments. For two years, Nepal had participated in World Rabies Day events and, in fall 2008, the Alliance for Rabies Control Nepal was formed. While in Kathmandu, Dr. Coote met with Alliance members to explore opportunities for collaboration on this exciting project. The objective of the new alliance is to conduct a 10,000-dog rabies vaccine campaign in the Kathmandu Valley. The plan is for community members from across the region to be mobilized to bring forth pet dogs, community-owned and free-roaming dogs for animal health clinics that include a physical exam, rabies vaccination, de-worming and public health education.