World Rabies Day 2020: All you need to know

World Rabies Day is observed on September 28 each year. The theme of this year’s 14th World Rabies Day 2020 is ‘End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate’. It marks the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death.

Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist who developed the first rabies vaccine. World Rabies Day aims to raise awareness about the impact of rabies on humans and animals provide information and advice on how to prevent the disease at-risk communities, and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control.

The event put on by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), seeks to educate the public about how rabies can be eradicated in people and domestic animals if we take the appropriate steps.

Around the world, dogs are the most common animal affected by rabies, with more than 99% of human cases coming from dog bites. GARC sponsors the event not only to raise awareness for one day but with the hope that communities can put measures in place to help control the spread of rabies all year round. World Rabies Day is the primary and only global day of action and awareness for rabies prevention.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rabies is estimated to cause 59000 human deaths annually in over 150 countries, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. Rabies is a deadly virus which spreads from the saliva of infected animals. It is transmitted through animal bites.

This virus attacks the central nervous system resulting in inflammation in the brain. The rabies vaccine is the most effective way to prevent this disease. Rabies is a 100% vaccine-preventable disease and over 29 million people worldwide receive a post-bite vaccination.

The writer is a student of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Patuakhali Science and Technology University