Quick links

 

World Rabies Day - 28 September 2010

STAND UNITED and END RABIES

World Rabies Day 2010 Logo

This annual event aims to raise awareness of the impact of human and animal rabies, and how it can be prevented. The day also marks the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur who developed the first vaccine against rabies.

The last reported case of rabies in the UK, following a dog bite, was in 1902. Due to strict quarantine rules and the surveillance of wildlife, the UK remains protected from this disease. However, it is still a major threat to human health in Asia and Africa, with over 50,000 cases reported each year.

VLA is a reference laboratory for rabies for the World Organisation for Animal Health and a WHO Collaborating Center for rabies. It also works on various international projects aiming to control rabies.

  • The Alliance for Rabies Control was formed to bring together a multi-disciplinary group to focus efforts on preventing human rabies deaths especially in children. Its focus is on health education, mass vaccination of domestic dogs and raising awareness of human post-exposure prophylaxis and how this can save lives.
  • The Partners for Rabies Prevention (PRP) is an informal network of stakeholders working in the field of rabies prevention and control. The group provides a platform to share information and expertise on global epidemiology, diagnostic techniques and laboratory surveillance. The PRP launched the Blueprint for Rabies Prevention and Control (ADD LINK) to help countries implement canine rabies control programmes with a focus on dog vaccination as an alternative to culling animals.

Tony Fooks, Head of Rabies and Wildlife Group at VLA, explains:

“VLA is part of the network of scientists working on rabies across the world. As well as delivering tests and research on this viral zoonosis, my group also work on various initiatives to help eliminate rabies.

"Education is a major part of this as many people are still not aware of the importance of rabies vaccination for protection.

"We also like to take part in events for World Rabies Day to help raise awareness of this disease and support the Alliance for Rabies Control.”

For further information, see the World Rabies Day website.