WOAH donates 100,000 doses of vaccine to Zimbabwe to support rabies elimination efforts.

Dr. Moetapele Letshwenyo, WOAH’s Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa, emphasised the significance of a sustained commitment to rabies elimination during the handover ceremony and commended Zimbabwe’s effective use of prior vaccine consignments, such as the 110,000 doses donated in 2019. “These vaccines are shields of protection for both people and animals; they are not just doses in vials,” he stated. 

Receiving the donation, Deputy Minister Hon. Davis Marapira thanked WOAH for their continued support. He stated that the vaccines will be distributed immediately in upcoming campaigns aimed at vaccinating both owned and stray dogs, with safeguards in place to ensure a strong cold-chain system that keeps vaccine efficacy from storage to field. 

This handover exercise is part of the One Health approach. Earlier this year, WOAH helped Zimbabwe develop a National Strategic Plan for dog-mediated rabies control, working with FAO, WHO, and other partners. This blueprint guides the country’s path toward eliminating dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030, in line with the global “Zero by 30” target. 

Beyond the numbers, the impact is profoundly human centered: communities will be empowered to safeguard their own health and the health of their animals, fewer families will lose loved ones to an avoidable disease, and fewer children will experience the trauma of rabies exposure.