World Rabies Day, or World Rabies Day, is an initiative of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control and has been celebrated annually on September 28 since 2007, with the support of many health organizations.
This Day is intended to draw attention to the problem of the spread of this disease, as well as its consequences. And the date was chosen due to the fact that on this day in 1895 Louis Pasteur —, the famous microbiologist, one of the creators of the rabies vaccine, died.
Among infectious diseases, rabies (another name is — hydrophobia) occupies a special place due to its absolute lethality (if the infected person is not provided with the necessary assistance in the very first hours, he will inevitably die). According to the anti-rabies alliance, 59,000 people worldwide die from rabies every — or, on average, one person every 10 minutes, and almost half of its victims are children.
In Russia, the situation with rabies is also unfavorable: there is a tendency towards an increase in the number of regions susceptible to epidemics of this disease among animals. In total, rabies occurs in more than 150 countries around the world.
Meanwhile, today doctors have safe and effective vaccines at their disposal that can stop the development of the disease in a person bitten by an infected animal. Immunization done within hours of contact with the beast can prevent death. According to statistics, more than 15 million people receive such vaccines every year. However, due to the high cost, the medicine is not available to residents of many developing countries.
Events dedicated to World Rabies Day are held everywhere. Experts from different countries inform people about the consequences of rabies in humans and animals; tell how easy it is to prevent it and how to eradicate this disease among people by fighting its pathogen among animals. Also traditionally dedicated to this Day are scientific symposia and conferences dedicated to the fight against rabies, and charity events to raise funds for animal vaccination.
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