One Health

World Rabies Day

World Rabies Day is an annual observance held on 28 September to raise awareness about rabies and its prevention. The day was first celebrated in 2007 and is coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans through bites or scratches. The virus attacks the nervous system and can cause death if not treated. There is no cure for rabies once symptoms appear, but it is preventable. The best way to prevent rabies is to get vaccinated against the disease. Vaccination is also important for pets, as they can transmit the virus to humans.

World Rabies Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about rabies and its prevention. It is also a day to call for action to eliminate rabies as a public health threat.

The theme for World Rabies Day 2023 is Rabies: All for 1, One Health for All

This theme highlights the importance of the One Health approach to rabies prevention and control. The One Health approach recognizes that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are interconnected. By working together, we can eliminate rabies as a public health threat.

⦿ Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease which occurs in more than 150 countries and territories.

⦿ Rabies kills an estimated 59,000 people each year, mostly in Africa and Asia. Most of these deaths are children.

⦿ Rabies causes an estimated cost of USD 8.6 billion per year globally.

Highlights

News

Rabies and One Health: Africa strives to halt dog-mediated human deaths by 2030

Although entirely preventable, dog-transmitted human rabies kills tens of thousands of people every year, particularly in rural and poor areas of Africa and Asia.

Brief

FAO and rabies prevention and control

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease, responsible for around 59,000 deaths worldwide annually. In addition to human deaths, animals including livestock are also affected with over US$500 million in livestock losses annually.

News

Preventing the impact of rabies on humans and animals with a One Health approach

Strengthening educational awareness at the community level to prevent exposure, and through mass vaccination of dog populations is a paramount necessity.