WEEK-LONG EVENTS ON THE OCCASSION OF " WORLD RABIES DAY-2021"

On the auspicious occasion of "World Rabies Day 2021"; International Veterinary Students' Association (IVSA, Paklihawa) in collaboration with Rotaract Club of Lumbini Buddha, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa, Rotaract Club of Lumbini Siddharthanagar, Rotaract Club of Central Lumbini, Rotaract Club of Central Bouddha Land, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa Chautari and Rotaract Club of Central Siyari collectively organized weeklong events with the theme "Rabies: Facts, not fear". The event had Youth Endeavour for Sustainable Agriculture (YES Ag) as the supporting partner.

Day 1: School Awareness Program at Bright Star English Boarding School, Bhairahawa to 8, 9, and 10 graders!!

With a motto to create awareness about the cause, effect, and prevention of rabies, International Veterinary Students' Association (IVSA, Paklihawa) in collaboration with Rotaract Club of Lumbini Buddha, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa, Rotaract Club of Lumbini Siddharthanagar, Rotaract Club of Central Lumbini, Rotaract Club of Central Bouddha Land, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa Chautari and Rotaract Club of Central Siyari initiated the week-long events with an "Awareness Campaign" at "Bright star school" in Siddharthanagar municipality -3, Bhairahawa. On this very first day of "Rabies week 2021" which is celebrated from 22nd September to 28th September, students from grade 8,9&10 were made aware of the possible causative animals of rabies, Rabies facts, and myths, incubation period, behavior & symptoms of rabid dogs, symptoms in human, tactics & ways of approaching dogs, pre-exposure and post-exposure doses, etc. Students were informed and educated about rabies through the poster presentation and detailed explanation by Ms. Usha Khatri (SCOH Coordinator, IVSA Paklihawa), Ms. Samikshya Bhusal (ExCo Member IVSA Paklihawa), Mr. Anurag Silwal, Mr. Nadim Khadka, Mr. Deepak Acharya, and Mr. Saurab Bastola.

The campaign was made interactive through a Question and Answer (Q/A) session with the students of respective classes, where the best respondents were rewarded with chocolates. The program was conducted in guidance to the Managing Director; Mr. Amit Yadav and Principal; LB Routar of Bright Star School. The program was assisted by Mr. Aashish Adhikari (President, International Veterinary Students Association (IVSA) Nepal), Ms. Binita Pokhrel (President, Rotaract Club of Central Lumbini), Ms. Diksha Sunar (President, Rotaract Central Boudha Land), Mr. Nikhil Khatri (President, Rotaract Bhairahawa Chautari) and other supporting and collaborating partners of the event. The students enjoyed the learning thoroughly. Almost 600 students were benefited from the program.

DAY 2: Television and Radio Broadcasting

On the second day, Ms. Suvha Shree Sharma (President, IVSA Paklihawa) and Ms. Pema Sherpa (Standing Committee Chair, IVSA Paklihawa) talked about rabies in general, its present context, epidemiology, and the current collaborative plans in World Rabies Day 2021. The program was conducted in the presence of Ms. Binita Pokhrel (President, Rotaract Club of Central Lumbini) and Mr. Ankit Poudel (Vice-president, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa).

The session was live broadcasted on Rupandehi FM at 7 pm NPT and Bhairahawa TV at 8 pm on 23^rd September 2021.

Facebook Link: https://fb.watch/8hugKU7aQc/

DAY 3: Paragraph Writing Competition

In the continuation of the week-long events organized on the auspicious occasion of "WORLD RABIES DAY-2021", themed "Rabies: Facts, Not Fear", on the 3rd Day, a " PARAGRAPH WRITING COMPETITION" was announced, where the participants were requested to answer the question (in a paragraph/ couple of paragraphs) attached to the google form provided and should send the answers within 24 hours in a word limit of not more than 200 words.

Criteria for paragraph writing competition:

Participants must send their answers no later than 10 am on 25th September 2021.

The answer will be accepted only in the English language.

Plagiarism will not be accepted.

The answer should justify the question asked.

The content of the answer shouldn't violate any animal rights.

The winner of the Paragraph Writing Competition was MS.Nilisha Rokka Chhetri.

School Awareness Program at "Shree Susanskrit secondary school", Bhairahawa to 8, 9 and 10 graders!!

Along with the paragraph writing competition, school awareness program was also conducted. The program was conducted at Shree Susanskrit Secondary School, Siddharthanagar municipality -3, Bhairahawa, targeting the students from 8, 9, and 10 grades. Ms. Suvha Shree Sharma (President, IVSA Paklihawa), Ms. Pema Sherpa (Standing Committee Chair, IVSA Paklihawa), and Ms. Karishma Pokhrel (Editor, IVSA Paklihawa) talked about Rabies in general in the school.

The program was conducted under the guidance of the Managing Director and Principal of "Shree Susanskrit secondary school", Bhairahawa. The program was assisted by Ms. Binita Pokhrel (President, Rotaract Club of Central Lumbini), Mr. Ankit Poudel (Vice-president, Rotaract Club of Bhairahawa), Ms. Diksha Sunar (President, Rotaract Central Boudha Land). Almost 800 students were benefited from the program.

DAY 4: Social Media Awareness Program

On 4^th Day, various facts related to the rabies were posted in the social media (i.e., Facebook and Instagram). The facts were:

Vaccinating 70% of the Dogs in at risk areas can eliminate canine rabies.

Rabies is a 100% vaccine-preventable viral zoonotic disease responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths every year across the world, a large population of whom are children.

The virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal and is transmitted to other animals and to humans through the saliva.

Rabies is a disease with the highest documented case-fatality rate, close to 100%.

95% of all human cases are in Asia and Africa.

99% of all human rabies cases are transmitted through dog bites.

Japan was the first country to implement mass dog vaccination, in 1925, being declared rabies-free in 1957

Prevention is better than cure

80% of rabies case occur in rural to semi-rural area, where access to health care, accurate diagnosis and vaccination is limited.

Rabies is a disease that affects central nervous system.

Rabies kills someone in every nine minutes

Rabies can infect any warm-blooded animals.

An infected animal can only transmit rabies after the onset of clinical signs

Once the signs have developed, the animal will die within 10 days.

The incubation period for rabies can vary greatly. The typical incubation period is three to eight weeks, but it can be as little as nine days or as long as several years in some rare cases.

DAY 5: Time Bound Online Rabies Quiz

On the 5^th Day, i.e., 26th September 2021, the "Time-Bound Online Rabies Quiz" was organized. The interested applicants for the quiz were required to fill up the google form for their official registration. The quiz was time bound, i.e., it started at 6 PM NPT and the participants were allowed to submit their answers within 15 minutes of time, viz., 6:15 NPT. The quiz contained 30 multiple-choice questions (MCQs).

The winner of the “Time-Bound Online Rabies Quiz” was Mr. Jagdesh Kumar.

Day 6: Community Awareness Campaign

14 banners depicting Rabies vaccination were put on the vehicles (e-rikshaw, a local transportation vehicle) throughout Bhairahawa. The main aim was to aware people of the need and importance of vaccination for one health.

An information video was even released by the joint efforts of the collaborating and supporting partners. The video depicted information about Rabies, its transmission, and prevention.

Facebook Link: https://fb.watch/8kg0D1BFnX/

Day 7: Free Anti-Rabies Vaccination Campaign

Finally, the week-long event (22nd September -28th September) organized on the occasion of world rabies day-2021, came to an end with a " "Free Anti-Rabies Vaccination Campaign" on 28th September at Siddharthanagar Municipality, Bhairahawa.

This campaign was mainly organized with a motive to ensure rabies-free street and pet dogs of Siddharthanagar Municipality areas. The campaign was started at 7 am in the morning and continued till 1 pm. In between this time interval, about 60-70 streets and pet dogs around the Siddharthanagar areas of Bhairhawa were vaccinated. In addition to vaccination, recording of each dog was kept as much as possible.

The program was conducted with the aid and assistance of volunteers, under the guidance of proper veterinarian services and safety measures. The dogs were handled properly and restrained scientifically. The volunteers had their safety on while handling the dogs. The program is believed to achieve a positive impact on society and people nearby got knowledge about this deadly virus.

The Campaign was even recognized by GARC (Global Alliance for Rabies Control).