People are often unaware of the importance of animal health, but it is crucial to their health as well
FREMONT, CA: Vaccines can prevent canine transmitted rabies, but about 60′000 humans die from it each year, mostly in Africa and Asia. Human health and human rights should include considerations of animal health, and both humans and animals should have equal access to rabies vaccination. Rabies in Uganda and poor dog management are examples of infringements of human rights, particularly of children's rights to health.
Most people who die from rabies are children between 5 and 14 years of age. The transmission of rabies to humans is mainly transmitted by domestic dogs, which contributes up to 99% of all cases. For a family with an average daily income of US$ 1–2 per person, treating a rabies exposure can be a catastrophic financial burden.
Rabies in Uganda
In Uganda, canine rabies is endemic in nearly 90% of the country's population. PEP is much more expensive (US$ 2) and is not available in most Ugandan districts (in theory). A number of logistical factors, including transport, cold chain maintenance, and facilitation of village health teams, hinder the distribution and administration of canine rabies vaccines. It is impossible to plan effectively for mass vaccinations of dogs without adequate information on dog population size.
