A strategic approach to regional rabies elimination

A key strategy for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) is to build, with the Partners for Rabies Prevention (PRP), strong Rabies Control Networks in Asia and Africa, which are the regions of the world most affected by endemic dog rabies. These networks will be structures for the progressive application of tools such as the Rabies Blueprint, the Stepwise Approach to Rabies Elimination, Rabies Education Certificate Courses and World Rabies Day. It is also envisaged to provide a platform for the progression of initiatives such as the Rabies Vaccine Banks (OIE, WHO) and Stimulation Packages to catalyze rabies control actions where it is merited and needed most.

In Asia, GARC presented this strategy at the recent ASEAN meeting and is involved in the planning for the upcoming SAARC meeting supported by WHO, World Animal Protection and GARC, to be held in Sri Lanka in from 11 to 14 August 2015. GARC’s aim is to combine this approach with the existing regional strategies for Asia.

For Africa, it was envisaged that a single Pan-African rabies expert network could greatly contribute towards a unified approach to rabies control and elimination on the continent and the idea of a Pan-African Rabies Control Network (PARACON), under the secretariat of GARC, was promoted during the latter half of 2014. Subsequently, the first PARACON meeting took place in Gauteng, South Africa in early June 2015. You can read more about the approach and the PARACON meeting in the separate article here.

In order to eliminate rabies, regional approaches will be critical. Combining the support tools developed by the PRP group with regional strategies and supporting this with international effort to increase investment in rabies elimination is a clear way to benefit those countries committed to rabies control and elimination.

Prof. Louis Nel, Executive director, GARC