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Volunteers Needed

Mission Rabies

across the world

100 children die from rabies every day

we're going to change that

In association with

the problem
Rabies is still a global problem that leads to the suffering and premature deaths of thousands of people and dogs.
In India alone, every 2 seconds someone is bitten by a dog and around 24 people a day suffer an excruciating death from rabies - over half of which are children.
Post-bite immunisations cost the Indian economy over $25million a year, yet more people die of rabies in India than anywhere else in the world. In response to this, local authorities often indiscriminately and inhumanely kill large numbers of dogs, in the hope of preventing this frightening disease. These efforts have been shown to be ineffective at controlling the disease and in some situations can increase the spread as street dogs move into vacant neighbouring territories following a cull.
why vaccinate dogs?
We know that infected dog bites are the main cause of rabies in people and that killing dogs does not stop the disease.
The World Health Organisation states that mass canine vaccination programmes are the most effective measure for controlling rabies, and that vaccinating 70% of the dogs in an area where rabies is prevalent is necessary to control the disease in both humans and dogs.
Some places in the world have successfully used mass vaccination programmes to become canine rabies-free for over 10 years - examples include Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and some parts of Peru and Brazil. We want to achieve the same in India and across the globe.
india national rabies network
We are setting up the India National Rabies Network, the first initiative of its kind, developed in conjunction with the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).
This will establish the country's first database recording where canine rabies vaccinations are given and by whom, and will supply cheap, effective vaccine nationally, to enable us to drive forward mass canine vaccination campaigns.
We will then roll this out across the globe.
the 30 day mission
Mission Rabies launched a 30 day mass vaccination campaign in September 2013, which will run every September hereafter, to coincide with World Rabies Day.
The purpose of this is twofold; to achieve a target of vaccinating at least 50,000 dogs in 30 days across 12 selected rabies hotspot areas, and secondly, to attract huge public support (both in India and internationally), promote community awareness and to generate sponsorship for the India National Rabies Network.
animal birth control
Beyond the initial 30 day vaccination mission, our fully-equipped mobile veterinary hospital truck will perform the vital work of training Indian vets at each of the vaccination checkpoints to carry out surgical neutering of street dogs, also known as Animal Birth Control (ABC).
By neutering female dogs in the areas where we are vaccinating, we aim to slow the turnover of the population, so our vaccination programme will be more effective and sustainable.
Our International Training Centre in Ooty, Southern India, has already trained over 300 Indian vets on comprehensive canine surgical courses, accredited by the Animal Welfare Board of India. We want to take these training programmes out on the road across India, to the areas where they are needed most.
we need you!
This is a huge mission, with the potential to save the lives of hundreds of people and dogs across India, but we cannot do this alone. We need you to get involved and to make a difference.
Keep up to date with our blog posts, spread the word via Facebook or Twitter and consider making a donation via the link on this page. Just £5 will vaccinate 20 dogs against rabies for a whole year!
If you are a vet, vet nurse or vet student, consider joining us in India in September for the volunteering mission of a lifetime! Click on the link on this page to download the volunteer pack.
No-one needs to die from rabies. Join Mission Rabies and help save lives in India and across the world.

key facts

watch our video

more videos in the gallery page

what is mission rabies

In September 2013, we vaccinated 60,000 dogs in 30 days. But that was just the beginning...

Over 99% of cases of human rabies are caused by an infected dog bite. Once symptoms of the disease develop, it is always fatal.

Every year, millions of healthy dogs are inhumanely killed for fear of this deadly disease. However, this doesn't halt the spread of rabies, which causes the deaths of around 61,000 people a year – the majority of which are children under 15.

Mission Rabies is going to change that.

Vaccinating dogs against rabies has been proven to stop the spread of the disease to people and saves the lives of humans and dogs.

Our aim is to eliminate rabies from the world by 2030. We launched the programme in the rabies hotspot of the world – India - where a third of all deaths are reported to occur. Click on the map, above, to learn more about our lifesaving work there!

Our work in India was just the beginning - all over the world people and animals are affected by this horrific disease, so in 2014 we are expanding our proven dog vaccination programme to other high rabies-risk countries in Asia, Africa and Central America; wiping out rabies at the source and saving lives.

Rabies is 100% preventable. Mission Rabies is working to prevent needless deaths from this devastating disease and we need you to be a part of it. Come with us on our journey.

partners

Dogs Trust, WVS, Davies Veterinary Specialists, Fitzpatrick Referrals, BSAVA, Commonwealth Veterinary Association, WSAVA, Technik Technology, Vipex, WTG, Pet Air, Mayhew International, BCF Technology, Centaur Services, AGM Telematics, AST, Daray Medical, Medimark Scientific, MSD Animal Health, Starleaf, University of Bristol, W&H, ABC India, A1 Animals Come First, Humane Animal Society, Animal Rescue Kerala, International Animal Rescue, Just be Friendly, IPAN, TOLFA, Indian Veterinary Association, AWBI, APCRI, VSPCA, Vets for Animals, iSAW and CARE.