World Rabies Day in Lao PDR: protect your dog to protect your family

Worldwide, rabies kills approximately 59,000 people every year. People can protect themselves from rabies by three simple strategies:

1. Be careful around dogs – especially those you don’t know – so you don’t get bitten.
2. If you do get bitten by a dog, wash and disinfect the wound immediately; then go immediately to the nearest health centre or hospital to get treatment.
3. If you are a dog owner, get your dog vaccinated against rabies. This protects your dog, your family and everyone in your community.

World Rabies Day gives visibility to anti-rabies initiatives in countries across the world. It raises awareness of the disease and how to prevent it. In particular it highlights the need to vaccine dogs to prevent the disease, and life-saving post-bite treatment for people bitten by dogs. The event also calls for pushing forward implementation of the global strategic plan to prevent human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030 worldwide. Lao PDR is one of the ASEAN member states that adopted the ASEAN Rabies Elimination Strategy in 2015.

The celebration of the World Rabies Day 2019 in Lao PDR officially opened with speeches made by guests of honour Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Bounkhuang Khambounheuang, and Deputy Health Minister Dr. Phouthone Muangpak. The event was co-chaired by Mr. Nasar Hayat, FAO Representative to Lao PDR, Dr. Mark Jacobs, WHO representative to Lao PDR, and included participants from different sectors.

Click the link to see photos from the event: bit.ly/LaoPDRRabiesDayPhotos.