GARC supports major rabies elimination campaign in South East Asia
US and Manila - The Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) has joined forces with local governments in the Philippines on a major animal and human health initiative that aims to see canine-mediated rabies totally eliminated in two provinces in Luzon and two cities in the Greater Metropolitan Manila area through an integrated community-based approach to rabies control.
The campaign in the Philippines, which targets the provinces of Sorsogon and Ilocos Norte, and Marikina and Cainta (part of Metropolitan Manila), is a unique collaboration involving local and national government, veterinary and human health experts, teachers and the wider community. The aim is to replicate the pioneering success achieved by the Bohol government with GARC in 2010 when rabies was controlled successfully following a three year campaign on the Filipino island.
With no known cure for rabies, GARC’s strategy focuses on prevention and ultimately elimination of the disease, working with all the stakeholders, from the national government to community health workers. This will be achieved through working with animal health workers to register and vaccinate local dog populations and reduce the number of stray dogs, especially in high risk areas. It also involves awareness programmes in the community, with education aimed specifically at children, who are most at risk from dog bites, to be supported by changes to the school curriculum. Children learn about avoiding dog bites and also how to care for their pets responsibly. Finally, our work involves helping to improve access to life-saving vaccines, better diagnostics and long term surveillance. GARC’s experts have provided diagnostic and surveillance training and helped to build the capacity of laboratories in Sorsogon and Ilocos Norte, allowing them to diagnose cases in the field at the provincial level. This helps to save lives by faster diagnosis of the disease.
“This is our largest attempt ever at controlling rabies and also our most ambitious, as we are seeking to build on the success of Bohol by deploying the same model in provinces and cities that have different characteristics. We hope that by doing this we will be able to demonstrate that the approach and techniques that we have developed can be replicated in other parts of the world,” said Dr Betsy Miranda, GARC Director for Asia.
“Rabies is one of the deadliest diseases in the world with a burden, tragically, that falls disproportionately on young children. But its elimination is entirely possible with the right kind of intervention. I believe we now have many partners in place here to make this a reality,” she continued.
This campaign is special in a number of ways. Over 2,000 community volunteers have been recruited for vaccination and awareness efforts, as part of our community-based approach. In Sorsogon, Ilocos Norte, Marikina and Cainta, over100,000 schoolchildren will receive education on rabies. Vaccination of dogs has gone up from 20% of the population before this project to 60%, a major increase. Expertise has been provided to build local knowledge and skills in diagnosis and surveillance, helping this work to become sustainable over the long term and prevent future rabies outbreaks once the disease has been controlled.
These activities were made possible by collaboration withthe following partners: Philippine Departments of Health and Agriculture, UBS Optimus Foundation; World Society for Protection of Animals ; World Organization for Animal Health (OIE); World Health Organization; University of the Philippines; and Central Luzon State University, along with other national and local governmental agencies.
GARC’s activities in the Philippines and elsewhere complement a vast number of grassroots activities around the world to tackle the threat posed to communities by rabies. These efforts are highlighted on September 28 each year, which is observed by the United Nations as World Rabies Day.
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