Rabies is a public health problem of significant importance in most countries of the Middle East. The current severe conflicts in the area negatively impact the smooth functioning of the national programs to

  • control of stray dogs,
  • vaccinate owned dogs,
  • improve the environment through reducing garbage and organic waste debris (that provide food and suitable habitat for stray animals to multiply), educate people, especially children, on the risk of being bitten and scratching by dogs, and the ferocity of the disease, which is fatal always and has no cure at all in case it happens, and
  • the provision of vaccines and serums for immunization and treatment of bitten persons to prevent them from getting ill.

Syria was one of the most successful countries in the region in the implementation of programs to control the disease but the current circumstances of the Syrian crisis led to a significant decline in the successful implementation of these programs for a variety of reasons which contributed in the re-emergence of rabies and the existence of large numbers of stray dogs in different areas causing many people to be bitten and attacked.

Therefore, the aim of the celebration of World Rabies Day this year in Syria is to assemble the joint efforts of all sectors involved in the disease control including the Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of local Administration, the Ministry of defense, the Syrian Red Crescent, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Information for joint action in the field of raising the level of awareness among the community about the dangers of the disease and ways to prevent it and the means available to improve control measures under the current circumstances experienced by the region.

The celebration will be in organizing a T.V. interview on Sunday 28th of September 2014 in the Syrian Satellite Channel with the following guests and themes: -

  • Dr. Hussein Suleiman, director of animal health at the Ministry of Agriculture to speak about the factors helping to increase populations of stray dogs in Syria and available methods of control them, and veterinary vaccines against rabies for dogs and their importance in the protection of public health.
  • Dr. Mustafa Turkmani, head of zoonotic diseases in the Ministry of Health to speak about the current status of rabies in Syria and procedures of the Ministry of Health and othe organizations cooperating in controlling the disease.
  • Dr. Darem Tabbaa , Professor of Public Health and director of the Animal Protection Project at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Hama to speak on the epidemiological situation of rabies in the Middle East and mechanisms of cooperation between government agencies and the community to control it.

Distribution of booklets to children in refugees and shelters about the proper handling of dogs to how to avoid dog biting and rabies prevention.


contact organizer