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Mission Rabies reports decline in rabies deaths
luke gamble
Mission Rabies has launched a crowd funding drive to help it educate another 15,000 children. (Image by Steve Burden)
Over half a million street dogs vaccinated so far
 
Mission Rabies founder Luke Gamble says the project is beginning to see the impact of its international programmes, with more than 500,000 street dogs vaccinated since its launch in 2013.

According to the project’s latest annual report, no child rabies deaths were reported in Blantyre, Malawi, last year. Back in 2012, however, it was a different story. The government hospital published an editorial in The Lancet, reporting the highest rate of child rabies deaths from any single institution in the whole of Africa.

Human rabies deaths are likewise declining in Goa, India. There were 17 human deaths in 2014, five in 2015 and just one in 2016. And in Ranchi, India, there were no reports of human or canine rabies deaths last year.

In addition to these three flagship projects, Mission Rabies now has another four project sites - in Zomba, Uganda, Tanzania and Sri Lanka. Thousands of dogs have been vaccinated in each of these areas, achieving coverage of 70-80 per cent of the canine population.

Last year the Mission Rabies truck also sterilised 2,234 animals, delivered 11 courses and trained 70 vets, providing vital training in clinical best practice. And the project recently announced it had educated its one millionth child on how to prevent rabies.

One particular case shows the impact of the education campaign. A man named Rupesh phoned the Mission Rabies hotline when his son Eknath had been bitten by a dog. Rupesh was incredulous that five post-exposure rabies vaccinations and rabies immunoglobulin were necessary, as the dog appeared normal.

The following day, however, Rupesh phoned back as the dog was becoming increasingly aggressive. The dog was collected by the Mission Rabies Response Team and humanely euthanised after showing clear rabies symptoms. The animal later tested positive for rabies.

Rupesh revealed that his son had shown him a Mission Rabies pamphlet and the emergency number, which had prompted his call. The Mission Rabies team had visited Eknath’s school and he remembered being told to wash the bite and visit the doctor for injections.

Now, Mission Rabies has launched a crowd funding drive to help it educate another 15,000 children: crowdfunder.co.uk/life-saving-lessons

The project’s CEO Luke Gamble said: “Teaching children how to avoid dog bites and what to do if they are bitten is a vital part of what we do. It only costs us 70p to rabies educate one child - the same price as a bar of chocolate.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.