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2023 World Rabies Day – World Rabies Day is Celebrated Annually on September 28th
September 21, 2023
World Rabies Day is the first and only global day of action and awareness for rabies prevention. It is an opportunity to unite as a community — helping individuals, NGOs, and governments connect and share their work. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) joins countries from around the world to promote rabies awareness and prevention.
September 28, 2023, marks the 17th World Rabies Day. This year’s theme All for 1, One Health for All highlights the need for collaboration, the importance of equality, and strengthening overall health systems by ensuring that One Health is available to everyone.
- “All for 1” expresses the responsibility each of us has in the battle to eliminate rabies. Everyone can work toward One Health, and everyone can contribute to saving lives. Communities can work together to help individual people and animals, and everyone can work toward a single goal effectively.
- The number 1 can refer to a single person making a difference, to a community, to our one goal, to how one vaccinated animal protects all, and how a single course of PEP (postexposure prophylaxis) can save a life.
The theme addresses key trends within the rabies community, including collaboration seen through the United Against Rabies Forum, and discussions and actions to operationalize One Health — improving human, animal, and environmental health as the 3 are inextricably linked. Furthermore, it addresses key global trends, with the launch of the Pandemic Prevention Fund from the World Bank and the need to strengthen overall health systems. This can be achieved by building capacity through rabies control and elimination efforts and laying the foundation for other disease/health interventions.
This year’s banner brings together all key elements of rabies prevention, highlighting the need for collaboration and a mix of approaches. We cannot eliminate rabies through dog vaccination or data collection alone. We cannot eliminate rabies through education or PEP access alone. Each situation requires its own tailored approach to educate the public, vaccinate dogs, monitor cases, and work with all relevant authorities to create a truly One Health rabies elimination strategy.
Rabies affects everyone, whether in endemic or rabies-free countries and One Health is for everyone. In this light, #Every1 needs to participate in eliminating rabies and achieving One Health!
