Rabies vaccination campaign in Kenya safeguards people and animals

Armed with syringes and needles and dressed up in scrubs, a spirited team of volunteers, veterinarians, and pet lovers from the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) hastily set up a makeshift clinic in preparation for an ambitious vaccination campaign aimed at curbing the spread of a fatal zoonotic disease-rabies.

How rabies threatens animals and people

Floods not only disrupt community livelihoods, animals, and ecosystems, but they can also spark the spread of zoonotic diseases, as they bring animals and people into closer contact. This is exemplified by the outbreak of rabies in Nairobi. Through our partner, KSPCA, we were able to identify rabies hotspots and help set up mobile vaccination centers.

According to the World Health Organization, about 59,000 people die from rabies annually-with 95% of these cases occurring in Africa and Asia. In Kenya alone, rabies is estimated to kill close to 2,000 people per year. Nairobi, a city of more than 5.5M people, has seen a recent spike in rabies cases.

Rabies is most often caused by bites from infected dogs and cats, which pass the disease to humans and other mammals through their saliva. While rabies has no cure, one way to mitigate its spread is through the vaccination of pets. In many parts of the world, vaccinations have helped eliminate it.

Working together to curb the spread

Last month, IFAW partnered with the KSPCA in a concerted effort to vaccinate companion animals and to halt the spread of the fatal disease from domesticated animals to humans and wildlife.