Preventing the impact of rabies on humans and animal

With FAO Rwanda support, relevant stakeholders validated the key and blueprint strategy to eliminate rabies 2023-2030

Every year, nearly 60 000 people die from rabies, and other zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, ebola and Rift Valley fever. These diseases pose risks to both animals and people. Over the past years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working with various actors and partners to make Rwanda’s goal of eliminating rabies by 20230 a reality. Recently all relevant stakeholders validated the key and blueprint strategy to eliminate rabies. The strategy runs from 2023 to 2030. It focuses on the prevention mechanisms, impact of rabies on humans and animals, and provide information and advice on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities, and traces ways to enhance the awareness on rabies control leveraging One Health approach.

“The world today faces unexpected infectious disease outbreaks, and the progressive emergence of rabies in a large number of humans and animals whose impact has been so negative on public health, economy and tourism. I thank FAO for supporting the development of the National Rabies Strategy. This is a powerful and promising approach to safeguard public health” said Matilde Mukasekuru, Acting Director General, Animal Resources Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.  

Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease that is transmitted through the saliva and nervous tissue of an infected animal and is usually fatal. It has one of the highest case-fatality rates of any disease. However, rabies is also 100 percent preventable, through human post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Strengthening educational awareness at the community level preferably to prevent exposure, and through mass vaccination of dog populations is a paramount necessity.

FAO and Partners

In view of the risk of exposure to rabies for those bitten, the Ministry of Health leading National One Health Platform, with FAO-Rwanda support, in collaboration with and other key  partners  in One Health such as the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), the National One Health Platform, the United States Agency of International Development (USAID)  wanted to make Rabies elimination a reality by 2030. FAO  worked hand in hand with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Rwanda Agriculture, Animal Resources development, Rwanda National Police and other partners of the Rwanda One Health Platform To review and  validate in a technical workshop, the Rabies Control and Elimination Strategy (2023-2030). It was  hailed the necessity of the strategy as essential tool for raising awareness, preventing rabies cases, getting the animal population vaccinated, and educating people about the dangers of rabies towards zero rabies cases in Rwanda. 

“ I wish to highly commend efforts of Rwanda’s visionary leaders who are determined to implement the One Health approach. Our joint efforts is a great  continuous contribution to minimizing the risk of spillover, spread, and persistence of zoonotic infections in human populations including rabies. The validated strategy is another milestone to having communities free from rabies and zoonotic diseases” said Jean Paul Mushayija, FAO Rwanda One Health Expert.

Members and partners of the Rwanda One Health Platform include: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal resources, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Local Government, the University of Rwanda, the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Rwanda Animal Welfare organization, Gorilla Doctors, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), Rwanda Environment Management Authority, Rwanda National Police.

FAO striving to halt rabies

With FAO support, over 598 dogs  and 61 cats were vaccinated thanks to the commitment of dog owners, local authorities, the One Health Platform and vaccination teams. This activity was preceded by awareness raising messages on appropriate behaviour to prevent rabies. 

FAO’s interventions in the past includes Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) using the Tripartite Operational Tool, which was organized for Rwandan experts from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, University of Rwanda, the Wildlife Unit of the Rwanda Development Board, and other key partners. The tool was jointly developed by FAO, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The Tripartite operational tool for conducting Joint Risk Assessments (JRA) serves ministries and government agencies responsible for control and management of zoonosis and other relevant sectors to effectively control and manage zoonoses at the human-animal-environment interface.

Furthermore FAO, in partnership with public health agencies, supports Rwanda to eliminate rabies through various measures such as preventive vaccination, pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, mass vaccination of dogs, surveillance and epidemiology, improved laboratory diagnostic capacity, responsible dog ownership and public awareness, risk communication and enabling legislation, which are the key enabling components to achieve zero human rabies deaths by 2030.