Understanding Rabies Prevention
Watch our informative video to learn about the crucial steps in rabies prevention and how you can contribute to saving lives.
EROVAAT’s Purpose
EROVAAT (Eradicate Rabies One Village At A Time) is a community-based educational and resource program. We visit one village at a time so that every child, through to the oldest adult, understands how to protect people and pets from the torturous death caused by rabies. On that visit, we also administer free rabies vaccinations. When we leave, the village is ‘rabies free’ and the villagers, animal and human health leaders maintain that status by continuing with rabies vaccinations going forward.
Cambodian people have feared rabies all their lives, and misinformation is widespread. Can you imagine how empowering it is to discover that if they vaccinate each animal every year from three months of age, they, their loved ones, and their pets are safe from rabies? EROVAAT has seen fabulous personal and community engagement and responsibility. According to the village chiefs and animal health workers, more than 90% of the villagers bring their dogs and cats to the central vaccination point. This is no easy task, as most pets have never left their home before, been carried, or been put on motorbikes or push bikes.
Milestones in Rabies Prevention
Cambodia is organised geographically by villages that are grouped to make a commune, multiple communes comprise a district and several districts form a province, of which Cambodia has twenty-five. We begin each new area by meeting with the district and commune chiefs or the head of the village veterinarians to discuss rabies control.
Once the village representatives agree to the commitment needed to become a rabies-free village, we give a written proposal and a suggested date to the provincial department of animal health and production.
The provincial government schedules their veterinarians and health workers to assist us on the day. Meanwhile, the village chief and other leaders inform their community about where, when, and why to bring their animals in. They request that the animal’s most trusted person bring in their pet. Dogs are to wear a homemade lead.
Vaccination/Education Day
Station 1
Data Collection
We record the animal’s age, gender, and owner’s name using a system provided by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control. This enables us to record and analyse vaccination coverage. We make all information public to benefit researchers and future initiatives.
Station 2
Vaccination
We instruct the owners on how to hold their animals for vaccination to minimise fear and stress and maximise safety. We have crates and muzzles on hand if required. It may be an EROVAAT team member, volunteers or community vets who give the vaccinations.
Station 3
Red Collar
Station 4
Paper Record
Owners receive an official record of their dog’s vaccination. Our team reminds them of the need for re-vaccination after one year. In addition, if the cord collar comes off, they can get a replacement from the village vet by presenting this card.
Station 5
Education
Almost all Cambodians have access to a smartphone. If they don’t have a QR code scanner, we help the owner download one for free. We scan EROVAAT’s QR code to download our ‘learn about rabies’ video in Khmer with English subtitles. Finally, we review the informational video and webpage, answer questions and encourage everyone to share the rabies information with their friends from other communes.
We also have stickers and cards with dual English/Khmer infographics and the EROVAAT QR code to take.
Depending on the size of the village and our team, it takes us one to three days to complete the process. At the end of the final day, along with the village leaders, we hang the ‘We Have Committed To Being A Rabies-free Village’ sign for all to see.
During our vaccination and education days, we discuss other preventative health measures. Parasite control and vaccines against parvovirus, leptospirosis and distemper are important in Cambodia. Some of these diseases also infect people (zoonotic), they are common and often lethal.
The local vets provide future vaccinations and preventative health care, making them essential in the program. We introduce the concept of neutering to ensure that when spay/neuter groups visit, owners are already aware and eager to take advantage of the opportunity to neuter their animals. This approach aims to reduce animal suffering by managing the number of animals and decreasing the risk of zoonoses. If there are fewer animals, it is more affordable to take care of them appropriately.
Our relationship with the village leaders continues after the vaccinations. They can contact us with any queries about maintaining a rabies-free village. We put them in touch with a reasonably-priced vaccine supplier (or preferably, we will supply vaccines if we have enough funding/sponsorship to do so) for future vaccines. We contact the leadership every three months until the day of the second year’s vaccination, then six-monthly the following year.
Join Us in the Fight Against Rabise
Although deadly, rabies is 100% preventable by vaccinating animals and people. Due to effective vaccination, education and surveillance programmes, many developed countries around the world have successfully eliminated rabies and maintained a rabies-free status.
Rabies is 100% Preventable