World Rabies Day

World Rabies Day is the biggest event on the global rabies calendar, coordinated by GARC and it has been commemorated every year on September 28 – the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur – since 2007. World Rabies Day aims to raise awareness and advocate for rabies elimination globally. It is an event designed to be inclusive, uniting people, organizations, and stakeholders across all sectors against rabies – because together we can eliminate rabies! With this concept of togetherness and unity in mind, the theme for this year’s World Rabies Day is:    

Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths

Why this theme?

Every year, we select a theme that we believe is most relevant to the current situation and global trends for rabies and also health in general. Therefore, this year’s theme will focus on One Health, coupled with the reminder of the “Zero by 30” goal and the fact that dog-mediated human rabies elimination is possible. We purposefully created a theme with a positive message by highlighting and reminding the global community that rabies elimination is possible, that we have a goal (Zero by 30) and that we stand united against this dreadful disease. This positive message aims to be a refreshing break following the worst of the COVID pandemic, all the fear and negative messaging and reports, and the negative public responses to vaccination mandates for COVID. Importantly for rabies, we have a strong global community, we have the tools and the expertise, and we have a goal for the elimination of human deaths from dog-mediated rabies. So, the message focuses on coming together to make positive change and achieve what we know is possible: rabies elimination.