Rabies prevention local action partnering organizations

Rabies is a global public health problem: This deadly disease is present in almost every continent, with 59,000 people¹ still falling victim to it every year. While other animals can also transmit the disease, dogs are the main reason for human rabies deaths. However, rabies is 100 percent vaccine preventable². This is why governments, NGOs, and industry contributors like us are focusing their efforts on vaccination campaigns as well as educating veterinarians and pet owners about the risk of this disease. It is crucial to continue the fight against rabies. With long-term local action, we can have a lasting impact, developing models that allow us to scale up our efforts.

“As a global leader in rabies vaccines, we have been supporting mass vaccination programs all around the world for several decades, in close collaboration with authorities, governments and NGOs,” explains Thaïs Vila, veterinarian and project leader for our support of mass dog vaccination campaigns. “We care about the health of communities and the environment we live in.” Here are some examples of our local initiatives in Southeast Asia and the US which reflect our commitment.

Southeast Asia: Collaborating with the Global Alliance for Rabies Control

Our teams in the Philippines and Vietnam collaborate with the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), to create a lasting impact and sustainably protect communities from rabies, which is still endemic in both countries. This includes workshops, the use of tools to collect and analyze rabies vaccination data, and of course supporting local rabies mass vaccination campaigns.

Philippines

Kicking off in March, our team in Philippines had a vaccination campaign in Pangil, Laguna, vaccinating over 400 dogs and cats, where they also had an opportunity to map campaign coverage with the collected data.

Vietnam

Our local colleagues in Vietnam returned to Duc Hue district, Long An province, in April, to provide free rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats. Following the success of last year’s campaign, our team continued to set momentum and vaccinated more than 6,000 dogs and cats living in 11 villages in the second year of our rabies prevention mission.

The vaccine campaign in Duc Hue was a joint collaborative effort along with our partners – Nong Lam University, the National Veterinary Joint Stock Company (Navetco), the Central Veterinary Medicine Joint Stock Company (Vetvaco), the People’s Committee of Duc Hue district and the villagers, and GARC.

A team of 50 well-trained and fully immunized students were also involved to not only get the animals vaccinated, but to also raise awareness to villagers on the critical importance of protecting their people by preventing rabies. They visited two primary schools in the village, to educate children on rabies, through fun and interactive learning sessions.

50 students who have received training in rabies prevention

Shots for Good^TM – donating vaccine doses to underserved communities across the US

A masked young man holding a puppy during one of Greater Good Charities' dog vaccination campaigns

Our US colleagues, in partnership with Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit, directed their efforts towards underserved communities in the United States in 2022. As part of the Shots For Good™ program, we're donating nearly 100,000 rabies vaccine doses. These will be used in underserved communities and tribal lands across the Continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Because the majority of human rabies cases – 95 percent¹ – occur in Asia and Africa, many people may not realize that it is important to keep pet vaccination rates high everywhere, including North America where human rabies cases have long since been eliminated. The rabies virus uses wildlife as a reservoir, so there is always a risk of reintroduction, especially in communities that have limited access to veterinary care.