In December 2015, countries from across the world met with WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), and agreed to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, acknowledged that elimination of rabies is within reach by using her own words: "Rabies belongs in the history books".
Under the One Health Initiative, WHO, OIE, FAO, and GARC are working on simultaneous campaigns to eliminate canine rabies through the vaccination of dogs, the treatment of human rabies exposures with wound washing and post-exposure prophylaxis, and the improvement of education about rabies prevention where it is needed most.
Ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 will require an active role from India, which has a high concentration of the disease but is also empowered by its rich technical expertise and resources to drive cooperation of other countries in the region.
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“消除印度的狂犬病是一项艰巨任务，但不是不可完成的。”
"The elimination of rabies in India is a daunting task, but not an impossible one," says Dr Reeta Mani, Associate Professor of India's National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
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印度国家心理健康与神经学研究所副教授Reeta Mani博士说。
"Control of canine rabies through vaccination and dog birth control is imperative, although with 25 million stray dogs in the country this is a formidable task."
While the sheer size of India’s dog population is a significant obstacle, Dr Mani also points out recent positive developments: "Collaborative efforts between the medical, veterinary, and public health sectors have already made a significant difference.