Local collaboration initiatives to support national strategic plans for rabies elimination
Vietnam: A Collaborative Effort to Stop Rabies In Vietnam, rabies kills more than 70 people per year and most rabies cases in the country are caused by rabid dog bites (WHO | World Health Organization). By collaborating since 2021 with the People’s Committee of Duc Hue District, Long An Province and Nong Lam University to provide free vaccination for dogs and cats, vaccine coverage has exceeded 70%; together with veterinary students from Nong Lam University, a rabies and dog bite education program was conducted for school children in Duc Hue District. Bringing together experts and representatives from the Department of Animal Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nong Lam University and Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam, a roundtable discussion, held in 2024, focused on enhancing rabies prevention measures and fostering collaboration between public and private sectors across Vietnam. Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam will continue to join hands with the Long An Province community to pursue a rabies-free status by 2025.
Phillipines: A coalition for rabies awareness In Puerto Galera in the Philippines, a program utilizing a 3-pronged approach that comprises an Information & Education Campaign (IEC), animal rabies vaccination, and spay & castrate initiatives began in 2022. The mission was made possible through the alliance of volunteer veterinarians and para-veterinarians from Marinduque, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro representing the MIMAROPA OTBT (One Time Big Time) Project, the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) and Local Government Unit (LGU) of Puerto Galera, the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of the Department Of Health (DOH), GARC (Global Alliance for Rabies Control), and Boehringer Ingelheim. The coalition created a unified approach in raising awareness about rabies elimination by educating and reinforcing public knowledge about the disease and more importantly, sustaining the animal rabies vaccination efforts in Puerto Galera.
Representatives from the Department of Animal Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nong Lam University and Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam at the ‘Joining Hands to Eliminate Rabies’ roundtable discussion, 20 April 2024.
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