8 Sept 2020
Pharmaceutical firm launches social media initiative to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinating dogs against the killer disease.
James Westgate
Job Title
MSD Animal Health has launched a global campaign to raise awareness of the goal to eliminate rabies by 2030 through dog vaccination.
World Rabies Day is on 28 September and, in partnership with Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa, MSD is launching a #ForThemForUs hashtag as part of a social media initiative to recognise and celebrate people committed to protecting and saving canine and human lives.
Vets, dog owners and volunteers are being invited to share photos and videos of their work in keeping dogs rabies-free.
Vet Luke Gamble, founder of Mission Rabies, said: “On this World Rabies Day, we want to recognise the invaluable role dogs play in our lives. When we protect our dogs from rabies, we are also protecting ourselves from this deadly disease.
“Showcasing those efforts through #ForThemForUs moments is a fitting way to raise awareness about why vaccinating dogs and educating people about preventing rabies matters and saves lives.”
An estimated 900 million dogs exist around the world, but the majority (75% to 85%) are not household pets.
To prevent rabies transmission in rabies-endemic areas, at least 70% of the dogs there need to be protected through annual mass vaccination.
For more than 20 years MSD – through the Afya Programme – has been dedicated to rabies prevention and donated more than three million doses of rabies vaccine to help meet the World Health Organization “Zero by 2030” goal.
Each year an estimated 59,000 people die from rabies, with more than 99% of cases contracted from a dog bite. Additionally, 40% of those deaths occur in children 15 years old and younger.
This is, in part, because of low rates of canine vaccination in rabies-endemic areas and a lack of awareness about the disease.
Ingrid Deuzeman – global marketing director, companion animal vaccines at MSD – said: “We wanted to recognise the global community for their role in eliminating rabies – from the local veterinarian who vaccinates dogs in a veterinary clinic to the door-to-door efforts of volunteers, and the Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa teams across the African continent and beyond, to vaccinate owned and stray dogs.
“We hope that by everyone sharing their #ForThemForUs moments with the world, these outstanding individuals and not-for-profit organisations will gain even more awareness and support to expand rabies prevention and elimination efforts.”
