#RabiesAlliance #GlobalAllianceforRabiesControl

Dogs are friends. When we go outside of our house and head to office for 15 minutes, we can see about 30 dogs on the way that survives in street by eating food given by the people around. Dog is respected culturally in Nepal and once a year they are worshipped, believed to be messengers of Lord Yamaraj, the God of Death.

But, there are several incidence that when dog that seems healthy bites, proper and necessary precaution or treatment is not followed because of the lack of education. There are few who listen to radio and watch television where awareness related to Rabies is given and shown. The problem is the illiteracy (42% illiterate), language barrier (that is Nepali is a national and official language but a country where there are more than 130 ethnic languages spoken at home and in their community, surely those messages are not listened carefully) and on the very day “world rabies day” and for couple days awareness and events are organized.

We lack organizations who focuses particularly “Rabies” that is listed one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases by WHO, CDC and Public Health.

During this time: awareness through social sites, pictures and videos will be the idea to reach the people.

Your can learn from:

1. https://www.who.int/immunization/policy/position_papers/pp_rabies_summary_2018.pdf?ua=1
2. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html
3. https://theconversation.com/coping-with-covid-19-need-not-derail-progress-against-rabies-146925 (Coping with COVID-19 need not derail progress against rabies)

 

KEY FACTS: RABIES

​Rabies

• Rabies occurs in more than 150 countries and territories.

• More than 55 000 people die of rabies every year mostly in Asia and Africa.

• 40% of people who are bitten by suspect rabid animals are children under 15 years of age.

• Dogs are the source of the vast majority of human rabies deaths.

• Wound cleansing and immunization within a few hours after contact with a suspect rabid animal can prevent the onset of rabies and death.

• Every year, more than 15 million people worldwide receive a post-exposure vaccination to prevent the disease– this is estimated to prevent hundreds of thousands of rabies deaths annually.

(http://www.who.int)

https://www.sustainablemed.org/vector-key-facts-rabies

 

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