Campaign raises awareness about importance
of dog vaccination
In recognition of World Rabies Day on September 28, Merck Animal
Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and
Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
(NYSE:MRK), today announced the launch of a global campaign to
raise awareness among veterinarians, dog owners and volunteers who
are committed to eliminate rabies through ongoing dog vaccination
efforts. In partnership with Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa,
the social media initiative recognizes and celebrates those
individuals who are committed to protecting and saving canine as
well as human lives, using the hashtag, #ForThemForUs.
“Many of us love and rely on our dogs, who in many cases are not
only much-loved family members, but also hard-working companions,”
said Luke Gamble, BVSc, DVM&S, FRCVS, founder, Mission Rabies.
“On this World Rabies Day, we want to recognize the invaluable role
dogs play in our lives. When we protect our dogs from rabies, we
are also protecting ourselves from this deadly disease. Showcasing
those efforts through #ForThemForUs moments is a fitting way to
raise awareness about why vaccinating dogs and educating people
about preventing rabies matters and saves lives.”
Around the world, there are an estimated 900 million dogsi but
the majority (75-85%) are not household petsii. In order to prevent
rabies transmission in rabies-endemic areas, at least 70% of the
dogs there need to be protected through annual mass-vaccinationiii.
For over 20 years, Merck Animal Health, through the Afya Program,
has been dedicated to rabies prevention and has donated over three
million doses of rabies vaccine to help meet the World Health
Organization (WHO) “Zero by 2030” goal.
Each year, an estimated 59,000 people die from rabies, with over
99% of cases contracted from a dog bite. Additionally, 40% of those
deaths occur in children 15 years and under. This is in part
because of low rates of canine vaccination in rabies endemic areas
and a lack of awareness about the disease.
“With Merck Animal Health, we have made significant progress on
the research needed to design cost-effective and efficient
vaccination programs that reduce rates of rabies in both dogs and
humans,” notes Felix Lankester, DVM, Ph.D., director, Rabies Free
Africa, Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington
State University. “From scientific research to actual vaccination
programs, we are refining the tools we need to prevent rabies.
While doing so, we must continue to work together with local
governments and healthcare organizations supporting local
communities as they continue rabies prevention where it is most
needed. This will help us achieve our 2030 rabies elimination
goal.”
Collaboration must continue among human, animal and
environmental health organizations to advance sustainable rabies
prevention efforts, including annual mass-vaccination. Through this
One Health approach, local, regional, national and global animal
health advocates all have a critical role in addressing this public
health threat and must work together to keep both dogs and humans
healthy.
“Experiencing first-hand the important work of our partners,
veterinarians and volunteers was the inspiration behind our
campaign, #ForThemForUs,” said Ingrid Deuzeman, global marketing
director, Companion Animal Vaccines, Merck Animal Health. “We
wanted to recognize the global community for their role in
eliminating rabies – from the local veterinarian who vaccinates
dogs in a veterinary clinic to the door-to-door efforts of
volunteers and the Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa teams
across the African continent and beyond to vaccinate owned and
stray dogs. We hope that by everyone sharing their #ForThemForUs
moments with the world, these outstanding individuals and
not-for-profit organizations will gain even more awareness and
support to expand rabies prevention and elimination efforts.”
For example, as a commitment to rabies vaccination in Goa,
India, there have been no recorded human rabies deaths for two
years. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission Rabies local team
remained essential to ensure rabies did not re-emerge in the area.
Throughout this period, our team was on-call to respond to any
reported rabid dogs. After several positive cases were confirmed,
they also quickly launched an emergency rabies vaccination drive to
prevent spread,” said Gamble.
Veterinarians, dog owners and volunteers are invited to share
photos and videos of their inspirational work in keeping dogs
rabies-free, using the hashtag, #ForThemForUs.
About Mission Rabies
Mission Rabies was initially founded as an initiative by
Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), a United Kingdom-based charity
group that assists animals. Mission Rabies has a One Health
approach driven by research to eliminate dog bite transmitted
rabies (a disease that is estimated to kill 59,000 people
annually). Launched in September 2013 with a mission to vaccinate
50,000 dogs against rabies across India, Mission Rabies teams have
since then vaccinated 1.1 million dogs and educated more than three
million children in dog bite prevention in rabies endemic
countries. For more information, visit www.missionrabies.com.
About Rabies Free Africa
Rabies Free Africa is empowering countries in east Africa to
create self-sustaining programs to eliminate current human rabies
deaths and set up surveillance systems to identify future outbreaks
for containment. To reach the global goal by 2030, the focus needs
to be on decreasing the cost of vaccinating dogs and increasing
access to vaccines. Rabies Free Africa continues its work to
discover ways to decrease the cost of mass-dog vaccinations and
refine country and continent-wide programs that make the best use
of limited resources. For more information, visit
www.globalhealth.wsu.edu/initiatives/rabies-free-africa/.
About the Afya Program
The Afya Program comprises a number of rabies control projects
supported by Merck Animal Health rabies vaccine donations,
including Rabies Free Africa, Mission Rabies and The Sharon Live On
Project. These projects have been brought together under the name
“Afya,” which means “health” in Swahili. The Afya Program is
committed to supporting the Zero by 30 Initiative, with the goal of
eliminating rabies by 2030. For more information, visit
www.afya.org.
About Merck Animal Health
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global
biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing
forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most
challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck
& Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, is the global animal health
business unit of Merck. Through its commitment to The Science of
Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians,
farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of
veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management
solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of digitally
connected identification, traceability and monitoring products.
Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the
health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who
care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive
R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal
Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are
available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit
www.merck-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn,
Facebook, and Twitter at @MerckAH.
i World Atlas. How Many Dogs Are There In The World? Accessed
June 15, 2020.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-dogs-are-there-in-the-world.html
ii World Atlas. How Many Dogs Are There In The World? Accessed
June 15, 2020.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-dogs-are-there-in-the-world.html
iii The World Health Organization. Frequently Asked Questions
about Rabies for the General Public. Accessed June 15, 2020.
https://www.who.int/rabies/Rabies_General_Public_FAQs_Sep2018.pdf?ua=1
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Merck Media Contact: Michael Close + 1 (267) 305-1211
Michael.L.Close@merck.com
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