GARC Addresses the World Health Assembly

On the 27 May 2013, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on all 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTD), including rabies. GARC was invited by the WHO to address a rabies-specific statement to WHO Member States Representatives from 32 countries and six nongovernmental organizations also took part in the deliberations.

Dr Lea Knopf, policy director of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, presented a statement highlighting the facts that rabies causes still about an estimated 60000 deaths annually, and causes economic losses of an estimated US$6 billion per year worldwide. She went on to say that these impacts of rabies are entirely preventable, the tools for prevention and elimination are available and the need for enhanced intersectoral collaboration was widely recognized. She highlighted recent progress made by the Alliance in increasing awareness of and educational resources to combat rabies, and the Alliance’s support of advocacy towards commitments to control rabies globally.

The development of comprehensive regional strategies for rabies elimination for regions most affected are already underway, and GARC is currently working with WHO, OIE, FAO and others on a global strategy for canine-mediated human rabies elimination by 2030, with the overall goal of enhancing and sustaining national and international commitments. Dr Knopf finished by calling on WHO Member States to support rabies control initiatives and to enhance their own continued efforts in making deaths from human rabies history.

The resolution on all 17 NTDs (EB132.R7), urges Member States to:

ensure country ownership of prevention, control, elimination and eradication programmes;
expand and implement interventions and advocate for predictable, long-term international financing for activities related to control and capacity strengthening;
integrate control programmes into primary health-care services and existing programmes;
ensure optimal programme management and implementation;
achieve and maintain universal access to interventions and reach the targets of the roadmap.
Dr Margaret Chan started her mandate as WHO Director-General in 2007, with a commitment to produce results on NTD control within five years. She called for an  integrated approach to tackling these diseases as a new way of public–private partnership. Since then, increased support from Member States and a pragmatic working relationship with industry have produced unprecedented results, but huge challenges remain.

Representatives of all countries who intervened supported the resolution, highlighting the challenges and ambitious targets set by WHO.

“This resolution reinforces the growing commitment of Member States in defeating neglected tropical diseases,” said Dr Lorenzo Savioli, Director of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “As outlined in the WHO roadmap on neglected tropical diseases, we will continue to provide support, guidance, tools and resources to accelerate implementation of interventions.”

Summarized by Louise Taylor from the WHO website news item, and the GARC statement to the WHA.