28th September is World Rabies Day

28 September is observed as the World Rabies Day across the world to raise awareness about the rabies in animals and human beings, its prevention and cures. “Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate” is the theme for year 2016.

Background

  • The World Rabies Day is an international initiative run by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
  • This day was observed in 2007 for the first time, to create a global opportunity for people to focus on rabies prevention.
  • The day is annually observed on 28th September to mark the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist who had developed the first rabies vaccine with his colleagues.

About Rabies

  • Rabies is a viral disease causing inflammation of the brain (acute encephalitis) in warm-blooded animals.
  • It is zoonotic disease, which means that it is transferred through a bite of an infected animal like dog, bat, fox, cat, and skunk.
  • The rabies virus contaminates the central nervous system (CNS) which results in brain disease and death.
  • Mostly rabies virus is found in domestic dogs. Dogs cause 95% of human deaths.
Rabies Virus
  • Fever, depression, agitation, painful spasms causing secretion of excessive saliva cause death within week.

About Global Alliance for Rabies Control

  • Anon-profit organization, which mainly works to increase awareness about continuing risk of rabies around the world.

Divided in Two Branches

  1. The Alliance for Rabies Control founded in 2006 at Scotland
  2. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control founded in 2007 at USA

Work Includes

  • Provide education on rabies
  • Support rabies control projects
  • Demonstrate how the impact of this disease can be lessened
  • Advocate at an international level for increased resources towards rabies prevention and control.

Examrace Team at Aug 21, 2021