As a veterinary doctor and director of Lagune surgery, I work closely with HSAM (Help the Street Animals of Morocco), a charitable British organisation whose mission is to create a healthy dog and cat population in Essaouira by sterilising, treating and vaccinating against rabies.
In support of World Rabies Day, flyers will be distributed in English, French and Arabic within the community in Essaouira and surrounding villages to raise awareness of rabies and PEP treatment.
Although French is the second language in Morocco, many people living in rural areas do not speak French so it is vital to get the message across in Arabic, especially in view of the large numbers of stray dogs in these areas.
I have also created a LinkedIn post to inform colleagues in Europe, UK and the United States about World Rabies Day to raise awareness and advocate for rabies elimination globally, including a link to register an event with an overview of the types of events one can register, even those in a dog-rabies free country.
We all need to work together to end preventable human deaths from rabies by 2030!