Bac Giang meeting in response to World Rabies Day

NDO/ VNA – A meeting was held in the northern province of Bac Giang on September 27 as part of activities in response to World Rabies Day (September 28).

People join a parade in Bac Giang city in response to the World Rabies Day (Photo: VNA)
People join a parade in Bac Giang city in response to the World Rabies Day (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Vice Director of the Department of Animal Health, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dam Xuan Thanh said that only 2.9 million out of 7.7 million pet dogs, or 38.5%, have received vaccines against rabies.

Fatalities caused by the disease are still on the rise. In 2016, 91 deaths from rabies were reported nationwide, up 17% over 2015 and 38% over 2014. In the first nine months of this year, 57 deaths were recorded, mostly in the northern region, noted Thanh.

He pledged that in the time ahead, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Heath will continue to effectively implement the measures stated in the National Programme against rabies for the 2017-2021 period, while raising public awareness of disease prevention.

Representatives of the World Health Organisation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation gave their commitment to supporting Vietnam in realising the National Programme against rabies.

World Rabies Day is the first and only global day of action and awareness for rabies prevention. It is an opportunity to unite as a community and for individuals, NGOs and governments to connect and share their work. This year, the event is themed “Rabies: Zero by 30”, with the target of zero human deaths from canine rabies by 2030.

Following the meeting, hundreds of people joined a parade in Bac Giang city in response to the Day and the province’s animal health agency vaccinated local pet dogs.