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Charity seeks Mumbai vaccination drive volunteers
Previous vaccination drives have vaccinated thousands of dogs.
Project will vaccinate stray dogs against rabies.

The charity Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) is asking for volunteers to help it deliver a five-day dog vaccination campaign in the Mumbai region of India in February 2024.

Part of the Mission Rabies project, the campaign will see stray days vaccinated against rabies throughout the city and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Around 20,000 people die from rabies in India each year – a third of the global total. The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 60 per cent of those who die in India are children under 15 years old. Most cases are caused by infected dog bites.

The vaccination drive is part of a national plan to end human rabies deaths in India by 2030.

Mission Rabies has previously had success in the Indian state of Goa, where a long-term dog vaccination effort has helped control the disease. There have been no human rabies deaths in the state since 2018.

Dr Luke Gamble, founder and chief executive of WVS, said: "In a world where rabies still tragically claims tens of thousands of lives every year, mostly in children, we have the power to prevent this.

“Nearly all human rabies cases stem from infected dog bites, a stark reality that drives our relentless pursuit to combat this disease at its very root. Our groundbreaking work in Goa has not only shown that it's possible to eliminate canine rabies but also to safeguard human lives from this entirely preventable yet devastating disease.

“The Mumbai initiative marks a pivotal moment in our journey, an ambitious step towards a rabies-free future in India.”

Details about how to volunteer can be found on the Mission Rabies website.

Image © Mission Rabies

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."