Rabies Today

South African rabies expert Kevin Le Roux told colleages at the United Against Rabies Forum in Cape Town that rabies data will never be perfect, so what is vital is to act to control the disease and save lives. Meanwhile Dr Joseph Nkhoma of Malawi points out that lack of data is a huge impediment to getting political and financial support for rabies control. Another hot topic at the UAR forum was the economic costs of rabies to lives and livelihoods - and who should pay for dog vaccination: ministries of health, or ministries of agriculture?Join Professor Katie Hampson for this special edition from the United Against Rabies Forum meeting in South Africa. Her guests include:Kevin Le Roux, Chair, National Rabies Advisory Group, South AfricaDr Joseph Nkhoma, National Rabies Focal Point, Ministry of Agriculture, MalawiIda-Marie Ameda, Global Malaria and NTD Adviser, UnicefProfessor James Wabacha, Animal Health Expert Consultant, AU IBARDr Kavosa Mudoga, Action for Protection of Animals AfricaDr Ryan Wallace, US Centers for Disease Controland also Dr Naseem Salahuddin, Pakistan; Dr Kanana Kimonya, Kenya; Dr Dereje, Ethiopia; Dr John Gokwisa, Tanzania; Dr Thierry Ouattara, Cote d’Ivoire and Dr Simbarashe Mabaya, Gavi. Send us a textWe would love to hear from you. You can find us on X/Twitter: UARForumLinkedIn: United Against RabiesInstagram: UnitedAgainstRabies_Facebook: United Against Rabies Join the conversation by using the hashtag #RabiesToday.Rabies Today is produced by United Against Rabies: working together to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. www.unitedagainstrabies.org

World Rabies Day is September 28th, an important day for community mobilization around dog vaccination and raising public awareness. But what's really successful when working with communities? And what is happening at national and international levels around World Rabies Day? This episode introduces the new Chair of United Against Rabies, Dr Lucille Blumberg, and also looks forward to the annual meeting of United Against Rabies partners in Cape Town.Hosted by Professor Katie Hampson, University of Glasgow, with Bosco Chinkonda, PhD Research Student, Malawi/UKDr Terence Scott, Director of Programs, Global Alliance for Rabies ControlDr Lucille Blumberg, Chair, United Against Rabies; National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa.Send us a textWe would love to hear from you. You can find us on X/Twitter: UARForumLinkedIn: United Against RabiesInstagram: UnitedAgainstRabies_Facebook: United Against Rabies Join the conversation by using the hashtag #RabiesToday.Rabies Today is produced by United Against Rabies: working together to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. www.unitedagainstrabies.org

Rabies still kills at least 25,000 people each year in Africa, many of them children. It also kills huge numbers of livestock animals at great cost to farming and pastoral communities.In this episode, Katie Hampson reports from northern Tanzania where there has been some progress in bringing rabies under control, but also meets a family whose son has recently been infected.Across Africa, the people most vulnerable to rabies usually live in remote and rural areas, where dog vaccination rates are low, awareness of the disease is limited, and human rabies vaccines for PEP are often unavailable.Also in this episode we go to Nigeria to find out how dog meat is linked to rabies, South Africa for the latest on rabies in seals, and we hear about plans for a continent-wide rabies control strategy.Rabies Today is hosted by Professor Katie Hampson of the University of Glasgow.Her guests in this episode are: Dr Huyam Salih, Director, AU-Inter-African Bureau of Animal ResourcesDr Christian Tetteh Duamor, Rabies Elimination Project, TanzaniaDr Grace Kia, Lecturer and founder of War Against Rabies foundation, NigeriaDr Lesley van Helden, State Veterinary Service, Western Cape, South Africa. Send us a textWe would love to hear from you. You can find us on X/Twitter: UARForumLinkedIn: United Against RabiesInstagram: UnitedAgainstRabies_Facebook: United Against Rabies Join the conversation by using the hashtag #RabiesToday.Rabies Today is produced by United Against Rabies: working together to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. www.unitedagainstrabies.org

Human rabies vaccines for PEP save lives by stopping the deadly virus reaching the central nervous system. But these lifesaving vaccines are often unavailable or unaffordable, especially in marginalized communities in Asia and Africa where rabies is still a significant public health problem.On 12 June 2024, Gavi begins the rollout of a new program to help over 50 countries to access human rabies vaccines, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives and catalyzing more sustainable approaches to rabies elimination. This episode explains Gavi’s offer, what it aims to achieve and what countries need to do to qualify for support.Rabies Today is produced by United Against Rabies, and hosted by Professor Katie Hampson of Glasgow University.In this Episode, Katie is joined by:Dr Simbarashe Mabaya, Senior Technical Adviser, GaviDr Bernadette Abela, Global Program for NTDs, WHODr Marybeth Maritim, Senior Lecturer at University of Nairobi; Consultant Physician in Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases and NTDs; Chair Rabies Working Group of Kenya’s National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, KenitagProf Bassirou Bonfoh, Veterinary Epidemiologist, Senior Scientist at Swiss Centre of Scientific Research in Côte d'Ivoire; Director Afrique One/ One HealthSend us a textWe would love to hear from you. You can find us on X/Twitter: UARForumLinkedIn: United Against RabiesInstagram: UnitedAgainstRabies_Facebook: United Against Rabies Join the conversation by using the hashtag #RabiesToday.Rabies Today is produced by United Against Rabies: working together to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. www.unitedagainstrabies.org