September 28 is World Rabies Day and this year, MSD Animal Health is commemorating a major milestone: the 30th anniversary of the Afya Program, which is committed to working toward an end to human deaths caused by canine rabies.

The World Health Organization estimates 59,000 people die from rabies every year, and nearly 99 percent of human rabies cases are a result of domestic dog bites. Through the Afya Program, MSD Animal Health has helped provide millions of rabies vaccines to dogs across the globe.

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that causes fatal inflammation of the brain. It affects wild animals, domestic animals and humans. An infected animal transmits the virus via saliva, usually through a bite or scratch. For humans exposed to the virus, symptoms usually appear within one to three months after contact with the infected animal. Vaccination can be part of the treatment for humans after exposure, but the most effective way to prevent rabies and protect humans is to vaccinate dogs.

Through routine vaccination, rabies is 100 percent preventable. Human rabies deaths are nearly eliminated in developed countries. However, in many areas of the world the disease remains a threat due to poorly vaccinated dog populations and wildlife reservoirs. This is especially important in children, as 40 percent of yearly rabies deaths occur in children under 15 years of age. Access to resources and vaccines is limited in communities where outbreaks continue, and often awareness and education is low. MSD Animal Health’s Afya program aims to bridge this gap, working with partners to deliver and administer rabies vaccines, educate communities and advance our understanding of rabies transmission and control.

Pioneering the science of rabies control

Since its inception, the Afya Program has functioned as an engine for field research and scientific discovery. By partnering with research-based nonprofits like Rabies Free Africa and Mission Rabies, the program has helped to fundamentally shift how the world understands and combats this disease.

Instead of relying solely on post-exposure treatments for humans, Afya Program-supported field research helped prove that stopping the disease at its source is the most effective strategy. These scientific findings have successfully moved global rabies elimination from an aspiration to a highly targeted, data-driven goal.

With support from the Afya Program, scientists have confirmed that domestic dogs are the primary carrier for the disease, shifting the global strategy toward canine interventions. Mass dog vaccination effectively breaks the cycle of transmission between dogs and humans, serving as the most powerful control measure.^1,2

Through the program, scientists also discovered that reaching a 70 percent vaccination rate within local dog populations is the critical threshold needed to create sufficient herd immunity and actively eliminate localized outbreaks.^3,4

Overcoming real-world barriers with technology

Delivering vaccines in underserved, remote communities presents unique logistical challenges. The Afya Program has supported cutting-edge research to overcome these hurdles, ensuring that scientific knowledge translates into on-the-ground success.

To combat the lack of reliable cold-chain infrastructure in many endemic regions, the program has supported Rabies Free Africa research into thermotolerance of vaccines and the deployment of passive cooling devices known as “zeepots.” These innovative, low-cost devices use nested clay pots, sand and water to absorb heat so the temperature of the inside pot remains below 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), even when ambient temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). This ensures that vaccines maintain their life-saving efficacy even in harsh, remote environments that do not have electricity.

Furthermore, the Afya Program has supported the integration of modern technology into field operations by organizations such as Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa to guarantee no community is left behind. By developing technology-enabled tracking tools—including facial recognition software for dogs and advanced population-estimation methods—vaccination teams can now map their efforts with unprecedented accuracy, improving both spatial coverage and long-term herd immunity.^5,6

Thirty years of measurable results

Driven by science and sustained by global cooperation, the Afya Program’s impact over the last three decades has been monumental:

• 8 million doses of NOBIVAC® Rabies vaccine donated.
• 12 million people educated about rabies prevention (with Mission Rabies independently educating 11 million children and 150,000 teachers).
• Since the Rabies Free Africa dog vaccination campaign began in 2003/2004, no cases of wildlife rabies have been detected in the Serengeti⁷
• Total elimination of outbreaks in major regions like Ranchi and Goa, India from Mission Rabies activity.⁸

The local-to-global impact model

The engine funding these scientific advancements is local. The Afya Program operates on a simple, sustainable model: when veterinarians choose NOBIVAC® vaccines in local markets, MSD Animal Health is able to donate vaccines to its nonprofit partners.

This model demonstrates that every day, localized decisions to keep pets up to date on their shots directly fund mass vaccination drives and crucial research in countries like India, Malawi, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Thailand, Kenya and Cambodia.

Rabies is a fully preventable disease. As we celebrate 30 years of the Afya Program, MSD Animal Health remains committed to using scientific innovation and community partnerships to ensure that life-saving access reaches the communities that need it most.

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¹ Cleaveland, S., Fèvre, E. M., Kaare, M., & Coleman, P. G. (2002). Estimating human rabies mortality in the United Republic of Tanzania from dog bite injuries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 80(4), 304–310.

² Lembo, T., Hampson, K., Haydon, D. T., Craft, M., Dobson, A., Dushoff, J., Ernest, E., Hoare, R., Kaare, M., Mlengeya, T., Mentzel, C., & Cleaveland, S. (2008). Exploring reservoir dynamics: A case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45(4), 1246–1257. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01468.x

³ Lugelo, A., Hampson, K., Ferguson, E. A., Czupryna, A., Bigambo, M., Duamor, C. T., Kazwala, R., Johnson, P. C. D., & Lankester, F. (2022). Development of dog vaccination strategies to maintain herd immunity against rabies. Viruses, 14(4), Article 830. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14040830

⁴ Duamor, C. T., Hampson, K., Lankester, F., Lugelo, A., Mpolya, E., Kreppel, K., Cleaveland, S., & Wyke, S. (2022). Development, feasibility and potential effectiveness of community-based continuous mass dog vaccination delivery strategies: Lessons for optimization and replication. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16(9), Article e0010318. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010318

⁵ Czupryna, A. M., Estepho, M., Lugelo, A., Bigambo, M., Sambo, M., Changalucha, J., Lushasi, K. S., Rooyakkers, P., Hampson, K., & Lankester, F. (2023). Testing novel facial recognition technology to identify dogs during vaccination campaigns. Scientific Reports, 13(1), Article 22025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49522-2

⁶ Ferguson, E. A., Lugelo, A., Czupryna, A., Anderson, D., Lankester, F., Sikana, L., Dushoff, J., & Hampson, K. (2025). Improved effectiveness of vaccination campaigns against rabies by reducing spatial heterogeneity in coverage. PLoS Biology, 23(5), Article e3002872. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002872

⁷ Lembo, T., Hampson, K., Haydon, D. T., Craft, M., Dobson, A., Dushoff, J., Ernest, E., Hoare, R., Kaare, M., Mlengeya, T., Mentzel, C., & Cleaveland, S. (2008). Exploring reservoir dynamics: A case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45(4), 1246–1257. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01468.x

⁸ Gibson, A. D., Yale, G., Corfmat, J., Appupillai, M., Mani, R. S., Selvey, S., Weyand, B., Beard, J., de Balogh, K., Shervington, C., King, A., Carter, H., Handel, I. G., Bronsvoort, B. M. de C., Mellanby, R. J., & Gamble, L. (2022). Elimination of human rabies in Goa, India through an integrated One Health approach. Nature Communications, 13(1), Article 2788. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30371-y