World Rabies Day
Many
people around the world observe World Rabies Day (WRD), which raises
awareness about the impact of rabies and how the disease can be
prevented. It is held on September 28 each year. is an annual event on
April 7 to draw attention to particular priorities in global health.
What Do People Do?
Many communities and organizations around the world, including the
World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN’s directing and
coordinating authority for health, and the Global Alliance for Rabies
Control (GARC), actively promote various activities and events that
center on World Rabies Day.
Many government agencies and disease control centers that support
World Rabies Day produce media kits, including posters, pamphlets, and
press releases, to increase awareness about rabies and preventing the
disease. Symposiums are also held on or around this time of the year to
remember researchers who were pioneers in finding a rabies vaccination.
Some associations and clinics offer free pet vaccinations and some
organizations host competitions, such as t-shirt design contests to
promote the event’s message.
Background
Rabies is widely distributed across the globe. More than 55,000
people die of rabies each year. About 95 percent of human deaths occur
in Asia and Africa, according to WHO. Most human deaths follow a bite
from an infected dog. About 30 to 60 percent of dog bite victims are
children under the age of 15. There are safe and effective vaccines
available for people who have been bitten by an animal that might have
the disease, but usage in developing countries is low due to the high
cost.
World Rabies Day, which is founded by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and GARC, aims to unite relevant partners to
address rabies prevention and control. With the initial goal of engaging
55,000 people to take action, one for each person who dies each year
from rabies, the inaugural campaign saw nearly 400,000 people from at
least 74 countries participating on September 8, 2007. The event was
held again in 2008, but on September 28 instead of September 8, and
September 28 has been used as the date to promote the event from that
year onwards.
More than 393,000 people participated and rabies education messages
reached more than 50 million people on World Rabies Day in 2008. The
result of this event was that there were enough funds to start
grass-roots education and control projects in five countries. Various
partners, including WHO and the United States Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, support World Rabies Day, which highlights the
impact of human and animal rabies and promotes how to prevent and stop
the disease by combating it in animals.
Symbols
The World Rabies Day logo features a globe in blue and green, and the
green shapes in the globe are that of a bat (left), human (center), and
dog or canine figure (right). The words “World Rabies Day” and the
event’s date (month, day and year), typed in black, circle the outer
part of the globe. These elements are kept within a black ring,
completing the logo.
