A rabies vaccination dose for a dog in Uganda

In most countries in the world, rabies has been successfully combated through vaccinations of domestic and wild animals, numerous legal regulations and educational work. However, this applies primarily to countries in the Global North, because for many people in the countries of the Global South, the infectious disease is still part of everyday life. Rabies is therefore also one of the so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), because every death is preventable through existing control strategies and shows the unfair access to vaccines and life-saving education. Around 99% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites. The most cost-effective and effective method of protecting people and animals from it is the widespread vaccination of dogs (GARC, 2022). This makes it all the more important to carry out targeted vaccination campaigns in the most affected regions in order to contain rabies there and, ideally, eradicate it. In keeping with the One Health approach, which requires the holistic health of people, animals and their shared environment for sustainable development, vaccination and education campaigns are carried out. Dogs and cats are vaccinated and their owners are informed about the protection of the vaccination. The four-legged friends are also dewormed to protect them and the people living with them from the dog tapeworm. This counteracts the spread of two NTDs and ensures a reduction in infectious diseases with the help of One Health. During the vaccination campaigns in Uganda, only animals that are tied to their owners are vaccinated. These are mainly dogs that are of great importance to their owners as guard or herding dogs. The goal? To eradicate rabies in East Africa by 2030. This goal comes from the “Zero by 30” campaign, the global strategy to combat rabies (WHO, 2019).