EXAMPLES OF RABIES PREVENTION PROJECTSMASAKA, UGANDA In 2010, VWB/VSF, the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls and Rotary District 7090 supported the efforts of Veterinary Practitioners Without Borders Uganda (VPWB-Uganda) to deliver a rabies awareness campaign in the Masaka District of Uganda. The Anti-Rabies Campaign was carried out over two days and comprised of an education component which engaged elementary and secondary school aged children. VPWB-Uganda ran a vaccination program on the second day followed with more public engagement for community members. ........ JODHPUR, INDIA With the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, VWB/VSF is supporting the Marwar Trust in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, an incredible organization that is dedicated to eradicating this deadly disease which kills over 20,000 people in India every year. ........ TODOS SANTOS, GUATEMALA In Todos Santos, a remote village in the Cuchamatán Mountains of Guatemala, VWB/VSF-Canada is working with local partners to develop a sustainable and culturally-appropriate canine population control and rabies prevention program. Dogs are the primary reservoir of rabies in the community, and many live in daily fear of these free-roaming animals. Previous population control programs, like mass dog extermination campaigns, have proved unsuccessful and community members are eager to develop more humane and sustainable solutions. With the active participation of local residents, VWB/VSF and its partners are currently implementing a long-term program to improve the health and wellbeing of both people and dogs living in this community. ........ KATHMANDU, NEPAL The need for a long term and effective rabies control program throughout the urban and rural regions of Nepal is urgent. Human rabies in the India and Nepal region contributes to over 50% of worldwide rabies fatalities annually. The last few decades have seen an increase in the number of human rabies cases in Nepal, a problem that has been compounded by the growing canine population in both urban and rural spaces. 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. Last June, VWB/VSF-Canada supported Dr. Joanna Coote to travel to the Kathmandu region to meet with local stakeholders, including government agencies(education, health, agriculture), non-governmental organizations (WHO, UNICEF, WSPA, KAT), training centres, and veterinary universities (HICAST, IAAS) in order to provide a complete assessment of the needs, strategies and goals pertaining to grassroots projects focused on rabies prevention and canine population control. With VWB/VSF’s support, a team led by Dr. Coote returned to Nepal in April to follow-up on current rabies and canine population control initiatives and to establish a long term action plan regarding VWB/VSF’s involvement in the region. On this last trip, there were some exciting developments. Nepal had participated in World Rabies Day events for the last two years and in fall 2008, the Alliance for Rabies Control Nepal was formed. 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. While in Kathmandu, Dr. Coote met with the Alliance members to explore opportunities for collaboration on this exciting project. ........ LILONGWE, MALAWI In June 2008 , 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. ........ PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA This summer VWB/VSF supported four students from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) to travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to participate in a four week dog ecology and rabies study. Every year rabies kills more than 55 000 people around the world, primarily through contact with feral dogs. The team worked closely with the community to gain a better understanding of the local canine populations and their role in Cambodian culture. These initial studies will provide information on the types of education and awareness programs needed to prevent and control this disease. ........ SAHTU DISTRICT, NWT, CANADA VWB/VSF has provided travel assistance and operational support for a team of veterinarians to travel to the Sahtu Settlement Area in the NWT to deliver a range of veterinary services aimed at improving animal welfare. Rabies, distemper and parvo virus outbreaks happen far too often in animal populations in many northern districts like Sahtu, and the threat of disease transmission at the domestic animal/wildlife/human interface is a serious concern. Additionally, stray and loose dog populations can increase the risk of dog attacks – which is especially dangerous since rabies vaccination is not routine. Working alongside the Sahtu communities, local partners, and various wildlife specialists, VWB/VSF is beginning to develop sustainable animal health programs that address these specific concerns.
Join us this September and Help Make Rabies History! |
|
|
|
|
