Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit

Category: Dogs | Date: Sep 06 2007 | By: admin

We have just done rabies and CDV vaccination for 2,100 dogs in Trans Mara. We have successfully raised fund for two months of work, but still got more work till we reach the core outbreak area. Together with Dr. Cleaveland (UK epidemiologist), we are trying to raise fund for our Trans Mara work through World Rabies Day.

We are trying to improve the wildlife health with canine distemper vaccine and human publich health through rabies vaccine. Rabies is very disturbing and horrific disease both in animal and human. When I was in vet school, we were shown a video of South African boy with rabies. The video was very disturbing as it had footage from the beginning of symptoms to the moment of boy’s death. I found a similar video footage on YouTube showing child with rabies symptom. It is extremely disturbing but it shows the reality of this horrifying disease which we are trying to eradicate here in Trans Mara. It is not a rare disease here in most of rural area. A boy died of rabies as we were doing vaccination in Angata town just couple of weeks ago. Rabies is a preventable disease by mass vaccination of domestic dogs, and it can be eradicated with 70% vaccine coverage. It is time for us to take action to stop this suffering.