Rabies & One Health: From basics to cross-sectoral action to stop human rabies deaths

Course information

This course is also available in the following languages :

Français - Русский

Overview

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease most often transmitted to people via bites from infected dogs. This course provides a general introduction to rabies, and the One Health approach currently taken to prevent it. It consists of seven video-lectures, demonstration videos, and lessons learnt from people who work at the frontline of rabies elimination programmes around the world. It targets both a general audience and those who would like to learn more about rabies and the pathway to eliminating this disease – like prospective and current public health and animal health practitioners in rabies endemic countries.

Learning objectives: By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Describe the basics of the infection biology and eco-epidemiology of rabies in dogs and humans;
• Discuss comparatively the burden of rabies in different parts of the world, highlighting hotspot countries and regions;
• Define the main pillars of the Zero by 30 rabies elimination strategy and the role of associated stakeholders;
• Illustrate the main strategies to prevent rabies in people and dogs, and the critical role of disease surveillance to support elimination;
• Justify the importance of a One Health approach to prevent and control rabies, providing specific examples of public health interventions in different contexts of the world;
• Debate the main challenges for rabies elimination and the areas that need to be reinforced, providing specific examples of pragmatic and locally adapted solutions and opportunities for innovation;
• Advocate for effective collaborative approaches to control and prevent rabies.

Course duration: Approximately 3 hours

Certificates: A Record of Achievement certificate will be available to participants who score at least 80% in the final assessment. Participants who receive a Record of Achievement can also download an Open Badge for this course. Click here to learn how.

Course contents

• Module 1: Introduction to rabies: history, burden and biology:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: acquire a basic knowledge about human and dog rabies biology; understand the burden of dog-mediated human rabies on rural and poor communities in the Global South and learn how rabies can be prevented.

• Module 2: The “Zero by 30” rabies elimination strategy:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: realize why we must eliminate rabies; learn about the “Zero by 30” rabies elimination strategy and how it uses a One Health approach and know what the United Against Rabies Forum does.

• Module 3: Preventing rabies in people:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: learn what to do in case of an animal bite; understand how rabies pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis work and appreciate how rabies vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin should be used.

• Module 4: Preventing rabies in dogs:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: understand why mass dog vaccination is the most effective and cost-effective measure to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies; learn the steps needed for a successful mass dog vaccination and appreciate the importance of community engagement in mass dog vaccination programmes.

• Module 5: Awareness and community empowerment:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: understand how to prevent dog bites; learn what activities are organised on World Rabies Day, locally and globally and appreciate how to empower school children and communities at large.

• Module 6: Diagnosis and surveillance:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: understand the importance of surveillance; learn what is needed to ensure consistent data collection and reporting and appreciate how strengthening the rabies surveillance system through a One Health approach benefits the control of other diseases.

• Module 7: Rabies as an example of One Health economics:

  By the end of this module, you should be able to: appreciate why rabies elimination needs a One Health-based investment model; understand why rabies is an excellent example of One Health in action and realize why rabies elimination is a necessary investment.