World Veterinary Day is a time to celebrate the vet’s role in the front-line of rabies control

Tomorrow is World Veterinary Day and the focus this year is on education for vets around the world on the importance of One Health. Veterinarians play an important role in protecting human health by keeping animal diseases away from humans.

World Veterinary Day on April 30th will celebrate the work that vets do that both save and heal animals but also prevent human deaths. It will emphasise the professional development needed to better understand One Health – the relationship between humans, animals and the environment. Vets will be called on to build on their expertise on One Health topics such as zoonotic diseases, food safety or antimicrobial resistance. 

Rabies is a zoonotic disease. Dog-mediated rabies accounts for almost all human cases of rabies although bats and racoons can also spread rabies through bites. Vaccination of dogs is by far the best way to prevent human cases of rabies. The End Rabies Now campaign has argued that the animal health and human health sectors should collaborate more closely to tackle One Health challenges such as rabies.

Uganda:

To mark World Veterinary Day, the Uganda government has launched a country-wide rabies prevention awareness campaign with local vaccinations of dogs and cats. The vaccinations arranged by the Ministry for Agriculture will be rolled out across the country from next week up to World Rabies Day on 28th September.

Uganda TV and radio are broadcasting discussions about rabies and there are small animal clinics and surgeries for people to consult vets about their pets or livestock. Tomorrow, the President will appear at the “One Health” Scientific Symposium.

End Rabies Now fully supports a focus on One Health and on controlling zoonoses. Rabies can be better controlled with improved screening and diagnostic tools as well as enhanced border collaboration. We need integrated multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary activities. Public health medics need to understand just how important veterinarians are at the front line of disease prevention and human health protection. Nothing illustrates this more than rabies control.

The World Veterinary Association will award the best initiatives to mark World Veterinary Day. More information here