In the South-East Asia Region, rabies is still endemic in nine countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Despite being a 100% preventable disease, it continues to pose a significant threat to human and animal health, as well as the risk of further spread. Many countries in the region face challenges related to limited resources, capacity, and commitment to rabies prevention and control activities. Weak surveillance systems often result in misdiagnosis and underreporting of, with burden estimations suggesting more than 27,000 annual deaths for the region. Globally, we have set ourselves the goal to reach Zero human rabies deaths by 2030.
Joining Forces Across Sectors
With dogs serving as the primary source of human rabies infection, a holistic One Health approach is indispensable. This approach involves engaging stakeholders beyond the traditional human and animal health sectors. In response to this need, the Tripartite in the Asia Pacific Region, comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), has been organizing joint events during World Rabies Day - celebrated annually on September 28th, coinciding with the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist who developed the first rabies vaccine.
Join Us for the Webinar
This year, our webinar will focus on the official theme of World Rabies Day 2023: "Rabies: All for 1, One Health for All."
Topics include:
- Enhancing rabies surveillance using a One Health approach
- Recent experiences from outbreaks in humans and animals
- Perspectives on rabies, and what actions can be taken
Let’s come together to work towards a future where rabies is no longer a threat to humans and animals.
Webinar Details
Date: 26 September 2023
Time: 11:30 IST
Follow us live: https://bit.ly/QPT-WRD
Maldives (Male): IST – 00:30; Sri Lanka (Colombo): IST + 00:00; Nepal (Kathmandu): IST + 00:15; Bangladesh (Dhaka) & Bhutan (Thimphu): IST + 00:30; Myanmar (Yangon): IST + 01:00; Indonesia (Jakarta) & Thailand (Bangkok): IST + 01:30; DPR Korea (Pyongyang) & Timor Leste (Dili) IST + 03:30
Further information: