World Rabies Day is annually observed across the globe on 28th September to create awareness about rabies, a viral, zoonotic and neglected tropical disease. The day emphasises the importance of rabies prevention and highlights progress in defeating rabies.
- The day also marks the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine in 1885.
- 28th September 2024 marks the observance of the 18th World Rabies Day.
Theme:
The theme of World Rabies Day 2024 is “Breaking Rabies Boundaries”.
- The 2024 theme highlights the need for progress and moving beyond the status quo.
- This also calls for innovative strategies and collaboration across various sectors and regions, highlighting the importance of integrating human, animal, and environmental health efforts.
Background:
i.World Rabies Day was established by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
ii.The first-ever World Rabies Day was celebrated on 28th September 2007.
Note: GARC is a Non-Profit Organization which aims to eliminate deaths from canine rabies by 2030. It is a registered charity in the United States of America (USA) as GARC and in the United Kingdom (UK) as Alliance for Rabies Control.
Zero by 30:
i.The’ Zero by 30 campaign’ was launched in 2015 to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
ii.The campaign was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC).
Points to note:
i.Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease affecting the central nervous system.
- It is caused by a Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) virus.
ii.Rabies is a serious public health problem in over 150 countries and territories, mainly in Asia and Africa.
iii.With a 100% fatality rate, Rabies has an incidence of 60,000 deaths per year globally, 40% of which are children.
iv.Dog bites and scratches cause 99% of the human rabies cases, and can be prevented through dog vaccination and bite prevention.
v.The global cost of rabies is estimated to be around USD 8.6 billion per year including lost lives and livelihoods, medical care and associated costs, and uncalculated psychological trauma.
Event in India: National Webinar
i.Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying(MoFAH&D), chaired the national webinar held on the eve of World Rabies Day (27th September 2024) in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.Dr. Simmi Tiwari, Joint Director and Head of Centre for One Health, National Centre for Disease Control(NCDC), presented an update on India’s National Rabies Control Program.
- The program aims to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
- It collaborates internationally and provides technical support to neighbouring countries.
- Key strategies include mass dog vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis.
