Newsletter Issue 57

Over the last few years, this newsletter has charted an important progression--the strengthening and streamlining of GARC’s work to support countries in their rabies elimination efforts.

In Asia, more than 4 billion people continue to be at risk of rabies. Of the estimated 59,000 human rabies deaths every year, the majority (59.6%) occur in Asia.  As an expansion of GARC’s regional rabies networks, the 1st Asian Rabies Control Network (ARACON) Meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 13-14th March 2018.

A collaboration between the UN FAO, USAID and GARC guided the West African country of Guinea through an intensive rabies diagnostic training course and a national workshop focusing on the Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination (SARE).

The World Rabies Day 2018 theme is Rabies: Share the message. Save a life. This highlights the importance of education and awareness to prevent rabies.

Stories appear with alarming regularity in the international media about authorities carrying out mass stray dog culling in response to rabies cases. Attracting fewer headlines is the high frequency of routine culling carried out month after month, and year after year aiming to curb rabies in stray dog populations.

WHO is delighted to announce the publication of two new guidance documents, each the product of months of expert review.

Professor Sarah Cleaveland OBE FRS was awarded the 2018 Leeuwenhoek Medal and Lecture by the UK’s Royal Society for her pioneering work towards the elimination of rabies throughout the world.

Wild animals living near humans often interact with local dog populations and can modulate the threat of rabies—sometimes in unexpected ways—but the influence of wildlife on rabies transmission to domestic animals and people can be diminished by a fully vaccinated domestic dog population. 

A round-up of recent research news most relevant to GARC's mission.