World Rabies Day 28th September

World Rabies Day 28^th September

Thankfully in the UK we do not have too many concerns about the dread disease rabies, as our quarantine and strict border controls make it virtually unheard of However this is not the case in all parts of the world and the 28^th September is world rabies awareness day, a day that is designed to raise awareness about both human and animal rabies.   The day is also about teaching everyone about the impact of rabies, how to prevent it and how to eradicate sources of the disease across the world.

Since it started the day has educated over 100 million people and vaccinated over 3 million animals against the disease.

Each year one person dies every ten minutes from rabies.  Yet human rabies is completely preventable if adequate rabies treatment is given.  Many of us travel abroad on holiday and it is important to be aware of the dangers of contracting rabies from a diseased animal.  So if you have been bitten, how do you know if you might have rabies?  Signs you’ll want to look out for are numbness at the spot you were bitten, a high temperature and hallucinations.  Rabies can literally drive you mad.

The majority of rabies related deaths are in Africa and Asia.  Children are particularly vulnerable because they are most likely to be bitten by dogs with uncontrolled rabies.  This major source of rabies can be avoided through pet vaccination, education of children and ensuring proper access to medical resources.

In 2006 when researchers and professionals formed the Alliance for Rabies Control the goal was to generate awareness and resources to contribute to rabies prevention and control.  Furthermore, the Global Alliance for Rabies Control now has every major national and international animal health partner on board.

The first World Rabies Day in 2007 exceeded expectations with 400,000 people taking part across 74 countries.   That has now spread across 125 countries.  Visit the website on http://www.rabiesalliance.org

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Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio