World Rabies Day 2025: That is a wrap!
World Rabies Day 2025 united our global communities under the theme of “Act Now: You, Me, Community”. With more than 360 global events, from vaccination drives to creative awareness campaigns to activities focusing on educating the public on the dangers of rabies, this year’s celebrations showcased the power of communities taking action. To everyone that participated: Thank you for helping us move closer to making a world free from rabies a reality.
This year’s World Rabies Day showed the power of working together toward a shared goal: to eliminate rabies once and for all. From individuals to entire communities, #YouMeCommunity, really became the embodiment of what the day aims to celebrate. While we are still gathering all the data, early results highlight the tremendous reach and collaboration that this year achieved.
World Rabies Day Events
At the start of October, 360 events had already been registered across the world, reflecting the creativity, energy, and compassion of those dedicated to rabies elimination. From mass vaccination drives in Nepal and South Africa to school plays in the Philippines and sports events in Indonesia, World Rabies Day activities have brought people together to
- raise awareness,
- vaccinate dogs, and
- empower communities to take ownership of their health and safety.
“World Rabies Day reminds us that eliminating rabies isn’t about one action, but many, taken by people everywhere who care about their communities,” said Dr. Andre Coetzer, GARC CEO. “Each vaccination, each awareness event, and each act of compassion brings us closer to a world free from rabies.”
World Rabies Day Awards
This year, we received a record number of nominations across our four categories. Supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, we had more than 100 nominations in the following four categories:
- Animal Welfare
- Veterinary Clinic
- Vaccination, and
- Education.
These nominations celebrate the individuals whose actions are transforming communities and saving lives. Winners will be announced on 3 November 2025. Follow us on social media to ensure that you do not miss it!
Partnerships and spreading the word together
Through social media and collaborative communications, we reached tens of thousands of people around the globe. We were also proud to collaborate with several partners on joint press releases and partner campaigns.
We sent collaborative messages with our partners from GAVI, Battersea, UNICEF, Boehringer Ingelheim, WVA, Sanofi, WSAVA, Soi Dog, Bavarian Nordic, WOAH, The Brooke, ICAM, Biogenesis Bago, FAO, Four Paws and Action for Animal Health! This ensured that we were able to reach as many people as possible. Each message reinforced the same call to action: Everyone has a role to play. It is up to you, me, and our communities to End Rabies Now.
In partnership with GARC, the Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA) focused on a Dog Health Champion campaign, recruiting almost 200 additional rabies champions to our global network. AfA asked individuals to complete courses on the GARC Education Platform and sign the End Rabies Now pledge. Do you also want to be one of our Dog Health Champions? It is not too late. Follow the links above and join us today.
Exciting changes at GARC
World Rabies Day 2025 also coincided with another exciting milestone for GARC: The launch of our new brand. The refreshed look reflects our ongoing commitment to empower, collaborate, strengthen and build capacity. We are very excited about our new look and feel. We look forward to continuing our work alongside communities worldwide.
As final reports and impact stories continue to come in, one thing is clear: when individuals act, communities change! We look forward to World Rabies Day 2026 and will continue to encourage communities to work together to eliminate rabies for everyone. A future free from rabies is possible. But only if we work together. Together, we can Act Now: You, Me, Community.