As the number of transboundary pest and animal and foodborne disease outbreaks rises, so does the number of people who are chronically hungry due to these and other factors. The correlation can be explained by the link between our health and that of the planet. We rely on land and sea for the produc
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tion of safe and quality foods for our daily nourishment. Pests and disease epidemics negatively impact the quality, quantity and safety of our food sources, and cripple economic growth and efficiencies in production. Furthermore, the epidemic and endemic levels of the pathogens and disease vectors can be difficult to control. This is why FAO stresses and promotes the special efforts required for cost-effective preventive measures rather than the more expensive control, disinfestation, treatment and disposal measures. When preventive measures are late or difficult, preparedness and contingency plans must be in place to enable rapid response. Early warning systems, based on close monitoring, surveillance, and timely reporting are fundamental to warn and empower communities to safeguard their livelihoods and assets by enhancing disease and pest prevention measures and for government services to take immediate measures to protect communities and national economies.
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Rabies is a fatal viral disease, but is preventable in humans. The rabies virus is transmitted to humans through virus-laden saliva from a rabid animal, mostly dogs. The virus is shed in the saliva
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of an infected animal and can be introduced into another body through bites, scratches and any other wounds that transect the skin. Contact of the infected saliva with mucous membranes is also thought to be a possible route of infection, whereas contact of infected saliva with intact skin is not considered an exposure. Rabies is preventable through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for individuals at high and continual risk, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
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WHO strongly recommends discontinuation of the nerve tissue vaccine, and replacement with modern concentrated and purified cell culture derived vaccines (CCDV) and embryonated eggbased rabies vaccines.
These vaccines must comply with WHO criteria f
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or potency and innocuity following satisfactory assessment in humans during well-designed field trials
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Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. In the United States, rabies is mostly found in wild animals like
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bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. However, in many other countries dogs still carry rabies, and most rabies deaths in people around the world are caused by dog bites.
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Website last accessed on 18.03.2023
GARC provides tools and training to build in-country skills and knowledge on essential elements of rabies control programmes, enabling countries to strengthen their efforts to eliminate
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rabies in a systematic way. Our most comprehensive in-country capacity building has been in the Philippines (at the country level as well as in the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Sorsogon) and Indonesia.
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As of 14 December 2021, a total of 19 laboratory-confirmed human rabies cases has been reported in South Africa for 2021. The cases are from Eastern Cape, KwaZuluNatal and Limpopo provinces. In addition, four probable
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rabies cases were reported from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces. A probable case of rabies is defined as a person who has had a history of contact with a suspected or confirmed rabid animal and has developed an acute encephalitis with hyperactivity and paralytic signs and symptoms that progressed and resulted in death, usually by cardiac or respiratory failure, typically within ten days.
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Rabies remains an under-reported neglected zoonosis with a case-fatality rate of almost 100% in humans and animals. Dog-mediated human rabies causes tens of thousands of human deaths annually despit
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e being 100% preventable. More than 95% of human cases are caused by the bite of a rabies-infected dog. Dog-mediated human rabies disproportionately affects rural communities, particularly children, and economically disadvantaged areas of Africa and Asia, where awareness of the disease and access to appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be limited or nonexistent.
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Interim rapid response guidance, 10 June 2022.
It includes considerations for certain populations such as patients with mild disease with considerations for community care, patients with moderate to severe disease, sexually active persons, pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and young persons
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. The guidance also addresses considerations for clinical management such as the use of therapeutics, nutritional support, mental health services, and post-infection follow-up.
The document provides guidance for clinicians, health facility managers, health workers and infection prevention and control practitioners including but not limited to those working in primary care clinics, sexual health clinics, emergency departments, infectious diseases clinics, genitourinary clinics, dermatology clinics, maternity services, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and acute care facilities that provide care for patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox
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In March 2018, a family and their sick puppy travelled through heavy rains in Malawi to a rabies vaccination drive. The puppy had bitten the family’s 12-year-old son, Isaiah Mzonda several days before and tested positive for
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rabies during the vaccination drive. Without appropriate prevention and treatment, rabies is fatal. Therefore, the rabies bite was a potential death sentence for the family’s young son who had not received any post-exposure treatment.
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‘World Rabies Day’ is observed worldwide to mark the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, a
French biologist, microbiologist and chemist who developed the first rabies vaccine. It’s a day wher
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Anti Rabies actions are collated, intensified and showcased.
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There is no cure for rabies, but it is 100 percent preventable through prompt, appropriate medical care. Every year hundreds of South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies due to
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exposure to a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Although the cost varies, post-exposure treatment typically exceeds $8,000 per person.
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A regimen of four 1-mL doses of HDCV or PCEC vaccines should be administered intramuscularly to previously unvaccinated persons.
The first dose of the four-dose course should be administered as soon as possible after exposure. Additional doses should be administered on days 3, 7, and 14 after the
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first vaccination. For adults, the vaccination should always be administered intramuscularly in the deltoid area (arm). For children, the anterolateral aspect of the thigh is also acceptable. The gluteal area should never be used for rabies vaccine injections because observations suggest administration in this area results in lower neutralizing antibody titers.
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Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths annually. Rural populations in Africa and Asia are predominantly affected, and approximately
40% of cases occur in children under the age of 15 years. Transmitt
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ed through bites and scratches from infected animals, dogs are responsible for up to 99% of human rabies cases.
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Rabies is a viral infection of wild and domestic mammals, transmitted to humans by the saliva of infected animals through bites, scratches or licks on broken skin or mucous membranes.
In endemic areas (Africa and Asia), 99% of cases are due to dog
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bites and 40% of cases are children under 15 years of age.
Before symptoms develop, rabies can effectively be prevented by post-exposure prophylaxis.
Once symptoms develop, rabies is fatal. There is no curative treatment; care is palliative.
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Website last accessed on 08.05.2023
Parts of the continent are still blighted by one of the world's deadliest diseases. An app is helping to turn the tide.
2nd. edition
The new edition has been developed to make widely available to programme managers, health care workers in endemic settings, academic researchers, and other key partners, a concise source of information on strategies for MMDP for LF. It is a product of efforts to elaborate and concepts
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and approaches introduced in the previous edition, with a focus on ensuring that countries have the tools necessary to provide the essential package of care for LF.
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