Vaccines and Posters for WRD

The Fifth WRD saw an amazing variety of events across the world. Here we highlight just two.

Banfield Pet Hospital of Lilburn, Georgia held a rabies vaccination clinic for World Rabies Day. They raised almost $1000 in just 6 hours, with the money raised split between the Banfield Charitable Trust Fund (that enables people who would otherwise struggle to care for their pets) and GARC. Educational materials on World Rabies Day and from Banfield's Smarthelp database were also available, and the feedback was very positive, with many clients asking if they would do the event again next year. This type of event and joint fundraising is a great way to make the connection between rabies control at home and overseas, as well as raising money for good causes.

And this year, World Rabies Day went far beyond the immediate networks of rabies prevention. On World Rabies Day, this poster was distributed electronically by the Association of Mexican Cavers to 2142 cavers throughout Latin America. It also reached 1457 virologists and 52 rabies specialists throughout the region, as well as veterinary technicians in Mexico, who in turn passed it on to their own contacts. The message asks cavers to be respectful of bats and their habitats, and to be aware that if bats are infected with rabies, they can transmit the disease to humans.