Paul G. Allen School for Global Health
Rabies Free Africa
Working together with international partners to eliminate rabies as a cause of human suffering and death

Rabies Free Africa

Combining vaccine research with community-based canine vaccination programs, the WSU Paul G. Allen School for Global Health leads in the development and deployment of the vaccination strategies needed to eliminate rabies worldwide.

The Allen School works with international partners to eliminate rabies as a cause of human suffering and death as part of the Zero by 30 initiative, the global strategic plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.

Each year more than 60,000 people die from rabies, with more than 99% of the cases contracted from a dog bite. The deaths are mostly in Africa, India, and other parts of Asia, and one-half of the deaths occur in children under the age of 16.

Our scientists are conducting research to:

  • Understand the effectiveness of canine rabies vaccines under different storage and distribution conditions, such as temperature
  • Develop cost-effective approaches to deliver the vaccine at scale across remote landscapes

Rabies Free Kenya

WSU Global Health-Kenya researchers have helped to implement successful community-based programs designed to eliminate rabies and be replicable across the globe. The team also partnered to develop tools governments can use to estimate resources needed to design and execute canine vaccination campaigns and surveillance systems for human exposure. The program’s next phase concentrates on enhanced education for dog bite victims and collaboration with human health care systems for easier access to post-exposure prophylaxis treatment.

Ultimately, rabies elimination in Africa requires regional cooperation. A rabies-free Kenya is only protected from incursions from neighboring countries when they, too, control for rabies.

– Dr. Thumbi Mwangi, veterinarian and assistant professor of epidemiology

Rabies Free Tanzania

WSU Global Health-Tanzania researchers are working to control rabies through mass dog rabies vaccination campaigns that leverage existing government resources. The focus is to decrease the cost of delivering canine rabies vaccines and find solutions for transporting vaccines to remote areas and resource-poor communities.

The ability to have vaccines stored for extended periods out of cold storage has allowed us to better leverage Tanzanian field officers and one health champions as vaccinators as rabies vaccines can now be stored in rural districts where electricity is not available.”

-Dr. Felix Lankester, veterinarian and assistant professor

Rabies Free Africa news


Rabies Free Africa in the news


Questions about giving? Contact Lynne Haley or 509-335-5021.

Join us to ensure no one dies from rabies. A gift of any amount to Rabies Free Africa will move us closer to a world where no one dies from rabies. If you are a veterinary clinic, consider a $1 donation for each rabies vaccine you give your animal patients. For more information about how to be a supporting clinic, contact Lynne Haley or 509-335-5021.