Rabies Free Africa
Combining vaccine research with community-based canine vaccination programs, the WSU Paul G. Allen School for Global Health leads in the development and deployment of the vaccination strategies needed to eliminate rabies across the African continent.
The Allen School works with international partners to eliminate rabies as a cause of human suffering and death as part of the Zero by 30 initiative, the global strategic plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
Each year more than 60,000 people die from rabies, with more than 99% of the cases contracted from a dog bite. The deaths are mostly in Africa, India, and other parts of Asia, and one-half of the deaths occur in children under the age of 16.
Our scientists are driving innovation to address the specific needs of Africa by:
- Implementing “off the grid” storage and distribution of thermotolerant canine rabies vaccines in remote villages
- Developing innovative smart phone based facial recognition to accurately identify vaccinated dogs, reducing unnecessary repeat canine vaccinations and guiding health care for bite victims
- Developing cost-effective approaches to deliver the vaccine at scale across remote landscapes
- Building the in-country capacity for long-term sustainability of canine rabies vaccination and integrated bite case management
Rabies Free Kenya
WSU Global Health-Kenya researchers have helped to implement successful community-based programs designed to eliminate rabies and be replicable across the globe. The team also partnered to develop tools governments can use to estimate resources needed to design and execute canine vaccination campaigns and surveillance systems for human exposure. The program’s next phase concentrates on enhanced education for dog bite victims and collaboration with human health care systems for easier access to post-exposure prophylaxis treatment.
Ultimately, rabies elimination in Africa requires regional cooperation. A rabies-free Kenya is only protected from incursions from neighboring countries when they, too, control for rabies.
– Dr. Thumbi Mwangi, veterinarian and assistant professor of epidemiology
Rabies Free Tanzania
WSU Global Health-Tanzania researchers are working to control rabies through mass dog rabies vaccination campaigns that leverage existing government resources. The focus is to decrease the cost of delivering canine rabies vaccines and find solutions for transporting vaccines to remote areas and resource-poor communities.
The ability to have vaccines stored for extended periods out of cold storage has allowed us to better leverage Tanzanian field officers and one health champions as vaccinators as rabies vaccines can now be stored in rural districts where electricity is not available.”
-Dr. Felix Lankester, veterinarian and assistant professor
Rabies Free Africa news
Rabies Free Africa in the news
- Facial recognition tech gives rabies war massive shot TheEastAfrican.co.ke
- Dog facial recognition app may improve rabies vax efforts Futurity.org
- Facial recognition technology being studied as a way to identify vaccinated dogs CBS News
Questions about giving? Contact Tauhid Haque or 509-335-2137.
Join us to eliminate rabies as a cause of human suffering and death. A gift of any amount to Rabies Free Africa will move us closer to a world where no one dies from rabies. If you are a veterinary clinic, consider a $1 donation for each rabies vaccine you give your animal patients. For more information about how to be a supporting clinic, contact Tauhid Haque or 509-335-2137.