About
Background
Rabies continues to kill an estimated 59,000 people annually. In many African countries, there is little to no dog vaccination, which is essential to control rabies in the dog population and protect human health. Likewise, rabies surveillance and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are extremely limited in these countries, especially in rural areas, resulting in underreporting and limited understanding of the epidemiology and burden of this disease.
To attain the international goal of eliminating canine rabies globally by 2030 there is a need to strengthen rabies surveillance, vaccination, and PEP in countries most affected, like Cameroon, which suffers an estimated 200 human deaths annually.
Program objective
“RAbies Control and Elimination (RACE) in Cameroon” is a 5-year program aiming to augment rabies surveillance, dog vaccination, and PEP in two pilot areas and later scale efforts across the country. Data obtained from this strengthened surveillance and vaccination system will be used to understand the epidemiology of rabies, to target future surveillance and vaccination efforts, and to fill gaps linked to patient care.
Our vision is for RACE to be a launching pad for the development of cost-effective and sustainable rabies control in Cameroun with methodologies applicable to other African countries.
