THE 18th World Rabies Day ceremony was celebrated at the hall of No 1 Basic Education High School in Zeyathiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw, yesterday morning.
Deputy Minister Dr Aung Gyi from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, along with departmental officials from the Department of Forest, the Department of Livestock and Aquaculture Research, and the Public Health Department, representatives from the Nay Pyi Taw Development Committee, the Myanmar Veterinary Council, the Myanmar Veterinary Association, and the Myanmar Livestock Federation, as well as the headmistress, teachers, and students of No 1 Basic Education High School, attended the ceremony.
In his address, the Deputy Minister stated that the theme of World Rabies Day in 2024 is “Breaking Rabies Boundaries,” emphasizing the need to overcome obstacles and actively participate in rabies eradication efforts. This theme aims to unite all stakeholders in a collective health awareness campaign to eliminate rabies through awareness activities and dog vaccination programmes. He also highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) reports rabies causes one death every 15 minutes, resulting in an estimated 55,000 to 70,000 deaths annually worldwide. Therefore, the ‘Zero Rabies Human Death by 2030’ project has been initiated globally. As Myanmar faces rabies outbreaks, it is crucial to reduce the incidence of rabies and achieve eradication by 2030. This goal requires collaborative efforts from all individuals and stakeholders.
Following the speeches on rabies prevention and control, the Deputy Minister presented books written and compiled by Maung Aung to the school library, which the principal accepted.
Afterwards, the deputy minister and his team inspected the rabies vaccinations. Similar ceremonies were also held at No 3 Basic Education High School in Pyinmana and No 14 Basic Education High School in Zabuthiri Township.
Furthermore, the deputy minister inspected the cleanup process at the Fisheries Department’s fish camp and oversaw the vaccination of 221 cattle before addressing the reported matters. — MNA/TRKM
