Boehringer Ingelheim, Eco-Business launch Stop Rabies whitepaper for Southeast Asia
Boehringer Ingelheim unveiled a whitepaper titled “Moving towards a rabies-free Southeast Asia” at the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association (FAVA) Congress 2023 held in Kuching, Malaysia from November 3 to 5.
Boehringer Ingelheim unveiled a whitepaper titled “Moving towards a rabies-free Southeast Asia” at the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association (FAVA) Congress 2023 held in Kuching, Malaysia from November 3 to 5.
The whitepaper was developed in collaboration with Eco-Business.
It highlights country-specific challenges and expert solutions to operationalise the One Health approach in preventing and eliminating rabies in Southeast Asia with a specific focus on Malaysia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
The whitepaper explores strategies to end dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030.
Despite efforts to combat rabies, Southeast Asia remains a rabies hotspot, with millions of people at potential risk of rabies exposure.
Some of the factors contributing to rabies infections include a large population of free-roaming and unvaccinated dogs, low vaccination rates among pets and strays, limited resources and access to animal vaccines, and cross-border rabies transmission.
The whitepaper, along with the gathering of like-minded stakeholders at the FAVA Congress, supports Boehringer Ingelheim’s ongoing STOP Rabies programme efforts.
The complexities of rabies control explored in a panel session during the congress also affirm the need for collaboration across sectors and borders to help the region advance forward.
According to many experts at the event, rabies is completely preventable with holistic programmes that focus on dog vaccination, education, and surveillance.
Building on over 30 years of experience working in rabies prevention and management, Boehringer Ingelheim’s STOP Rabies programme reinforces the company’s mission to improve the health of both animals and humans.
By contributing its expertise and heritage to rabies elimination efforts that are already taking place in Southeast Asia and around the world, Boehringer continues to advocate for sustained, collaborative efforts to make meaningful advances towards eliminating rabies.
In Viet Nam, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has joined hands with Long An Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Duc Hue District’s People's Committee to implement the programme “Rabies vaccination for the community” for three consecutive years.
A total of 19,400 cats and dogs have been vaccinated since 2021. This year alone, the programme provided free rabies vaccination for close to 7,000 dogs and cats in Duc Hue District.
Torsten Hardge, director of Animal Health of Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam, said the company’s vaccination campaigns in Duc Hue District confirmed that if animals are healthy, people are healthier, too.
The company is committed to contributing with know-how, vaccines and research to protect animals and people against rabies.
“Providing education about rabies and rabies prevention is of major importance in our vaccination campaigns," he said.
The Vietnamese Government aims to eliminate human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030 through the 2022-30 national programme for rabies control and elimination. — VNS
