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Vet charity tackles surge in global rabies cases across pandemic
"We've reduced the incidence of human rabies deaths across all our project sites. We're protecting dogs and we're protecting children." Luke Gamble, Mission Rabies (pictured).

Mass vaccination programmes help to protect at-risk communities

Veterinary charity Mission Rabies has been strengthening its efforts to combat canine rabies during the pandemic, leading the fight against this neglected tropical disease (NTD) on a global scale.

With restaurants and cafes closed across the globe, there has been a surge in roaming dogs searching for food and fighting for territory.

Andy Gibson, research director for Mission Rabies said: “We’ve seen a spike in rabies cases in Goa, India because of the lockdown. Dogs moved between state borders, threatening to ravage rural communities in search of food.

“We had to deploy our teams to work through the pandemic, often at great personal risk, to protect the people, particularly the children in the affected areas.”

Mission Rabies' teams worked tirelessly across the pandemic, managing to vaccinate more than 81,000 dogs across the state of Goa.

Similarly, the lockdowns being enforced across Africa have dramatically increased the risk of being bitten by a rabid dog. In the southeastern country of Malawi, rabies kills a child every day.

In 2020, the Mission Rabies team deployed in southern Malawi took part in an annual mass vaccination campaign to protect at-risk communities. Over a two month period, the team was able to vaccinate more than 100,000 dogs.

Founder and CEO Dr Luke Gamble explained: “We’ve reduced the incidence of human rabies deaths across all our project sites. We’re protecting dogs and we’re protecting children. It’s a win-win.” 

Currently, the charity is carrying out a rapid response mass vaccination programme in Tanzania, where an estimated 1,500 people die from rabies every year. 

Working alongside other international volunteers, the charity will vaccinate more than 7,000 dogs in ten days to protect a community from rabies.

Mission Rabies is a partner of World NTD day, which takes place on 30 January. It recognises the hard work and progress made to tackle NTDs across several countries and sectors.

Image (c) Mission Rabies.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
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NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.