Today is World Rabies Day

By BBN Staff: Today marks the 13th celebration of World Rabies Day, an annual event geared towards raising awareness about the severity of Rabies and acknowledge the work of rabies programs all over the world to eradicate the disease.

The event is being celebrated under the 2020 theme “End Rabies: Collaborate and Vaccinate.” The Pan American Health Organization issued a statement today, noting that this year’s celebration of World Rabies Day also highlights the importance of canine vaccination and the need for a joint effort to achieve its elimination.

” Globally, 60,000 people die each year from the disease, mainly in Asia and Africa. However, it can be eliminated in its urban cycle, where it is transmitted by dogs and cats, through efficient prevention measures such as animal vaccination, health education, and medical care with preventive treatment in people attacked by animals,” PAHO said.

PAHO added that a major continental milestone in the fight against rabies took place in 2019 when Mexico became the first country in the world to receive official validation as a country free from human rabies transmitted by dogs.

“On our continent, the incidence of dog-mediated human rabies has been reduced by almost 98%, from a record of 300 cases in 1983 to just 3 cases in 2019,” said Dr. Ottorino Cosivi, director of the Pan American Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA) of PAHO.

Cosivi also said that the achievement was made possible through solidarity and lesson sharing between countries as to the identification and prioritization of risks as well as the implementation of epidemiological monitoring.  

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2020, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.