September 8: World Rabies Day

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Three of those deaths were in the United States. However, there were 7,000 confirmed cases of rabies.

In the US, rabies is still present, specifically in bats, raccoon, fox and skunks in every state except Hawaii. The report was published in The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, on August 15.

Earthtimes.org reports that participation will include

Canada, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, Ethiopia, South Africa, Germany, Haiti, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United Sates, including veterinary medical school fund-raisers and educational programs by virtually every Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) chapter.

Dr. Charles E. Rupprecht, chief rabies officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) goes on to tell us that

"Human rabies can be prevented, canine rabies can be eliminated, and wildlife rabies can be controlled. People have no idea that people are dying in the developing world because they have no vaccine. Some developing countries have substandard vaccines, and others don't have anything at all."

World Rabies Day Mission is to educate everyone on the impact of human and animal rabies globally, and that the major impact is seen in parts of the world where needs are present and that it should not be neglected any longer.

Today's event was held in Atlanta, GA that included an all day symposium and Expo. Dr. Rupprecht was there, as well as speakers from the Wildlife Services of the USDA, the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases and the Pan-American Health Organization. As well, Jeana Giese, the world's first rabies survivor, recounted her personal ordeal with the deadly disease.

For more information, visit:

http://www.worldrabiesday.org/

http://www.avma.org/