MSD Animal Health (known as Merck Animal Health in the United
States and Canada) is proud to announce a landmark accomplishment
in its fight against rabies with the donation of now more than two
million doses of its NOBIVAC® rabies vaccine to organizations
working to eliminate this completely preventable disease. This
year’s donations of vaccines and other resources to the Afya
Serengeti Project and Mission Rabies in the world’s most at-risk
regions further represent the Company’s deep, long-standing
commitment to the fight against rabies.
Each year, an estimated 59,000 people die from rabies, with 40
percent of those deaths occurring in children under the age of 15.1
Rabies, a neglected disease of vulnerable populations, occurs
mainly in remote rural communities where children ages 5 to 14 are
frequent victims. Africa and India bear the highest burden of total
annual rabies deaths.2 Since dogs are the source of the vast
majority of human cases and the primary reservoirs, the widespread
vaccination of dogs is an effective method for eliminating the
disease.2
“On this World Rabies Day and every day, MSD Animal Health is
proud to extend our collaboration with the Afya Serengeti Project,
which we’ve been committed to for more than 15 years, and with
Mission Rabies, in our continued fight against rabies,” said Ingrid
Deuzeman, Global Marketing Director, MSD Animal Health. “A
preventable disease with a devastating impact in vulnerable
populations, we are committed to these partnerships and efforts to
eliminate rabies globally.”
Join the Fight Against Rabies
In more than 20 participating countries, when pet owners and
veterinarians choose NOBIVAC® vaccines, MSD Animal Health has
committed to match it with a donation of NOBIVAC® rabies vaccines
to the Afya Serengeti Project and Mission Rabies.
“Every year, more than 25 million people worldwide receive a
post-bite vaccination, which prevent hundreds of thousands of
rabies deaths annually. However, in areas without sufficient access
to treatment and hospitals, the impact of rabies is catastrophic.
Every day, people are being exposed to rabies and they then face a
race against time, which can sometimes have a deadly and tragic
outcome,” said Professor Sarah Cleaveland, Founder, Afya Serengeti
Project. “We, and the communities supported by this project, are
very grateful for the continued support of MSD Animal Health that
allows us to control rabies and save lives in vulnerable
regions.”
“Widespread canine vaccinations are preventing the needless
devastation that rabies can cause in people and animals,” said Luke
Gamble, Founder, Mission Rabies. “Our collaboration with MSD Animal
Health is an invaluable resource in our mission to eliminate rabies
worldwide by 2030.”
For more information, visit www.afya.org, www.missionrabies.com
and rabiesalliance.org/world-rabies-day. More information about
NOBIVAC® vaccines can be found at www.nobivac.com.
Saving Lives in the Serengeti
The Afya Serengeti Project has prevented hundreds of horrifying
deaths in the Serengeti through the widespread vaccination of
domestic dogs. Each year, over 600 dog rabies cases are prevented
and 23 human lives saved.3 The implementation of mass dog
vaccination was initially able to bring rabies to an all-time low,4
but efforts have had to be intensified over recent years to tackle
the upsurge of cases that have originated from introductions from
outside the vaccination zone, where rabies remains rampant.
Fortunately, with this renewed momentum, cases have fallen
substantially over the past three years and hold promise for
elimination. The effective control of rabies through dog
vaccination has also had benefits for wildlife, including
endangered African wild dogs, which have become re-established in
the Serengeti National Park for the first time since the population
disappeared as a result of rabies outbreaks in the early 1990s.
Understanding the importance of providing vaccinations to other
at-risk areas, the Afya Project is now focused on expanding its
service area. Recently, the program has extended to Kenya,
Bangalore and the Pune region of India.
Eliminating Rabies in India and Africa
Since 2013, Mission Rabies has set a goal to vaccinate dogs
across rabies hotspots in India, where over a third of all human
rabies deaths occur.5 Based on the program’s success in India,
Mission Rabies has expanded its support to Africa.
Mission Rabies does more than just vaccinate hundreds of
thousands of dogs against rabies each year. They go to schools and
educate children in these communities, informing them of the
seriousness of the disease. Children are the most affected by
rabies because they play with dogs and don’t understand how deadly
rabies can be.
Using a fast-paced team of veterinarians and volunteers, Mission
Rabies has so far vaccinated more than 449,000 dogs, trained 80
veterinarians and educated more than 622,000 children about the
risk of rabies. This year alone, the Mission Rabies team visited
Goa, India; Blantyre, Malawi; Ranchi City, India; Nwoya, Uganda;
Meru, Tanzania and Negombo, Sri Lanka.
“As we mark the 10th World Rabies Day in 2016, a milestone in
life-saving rabies prevention, MSD Animal Health is honored to
continue supporting the Afya Serengeti Project and Mission Rabies
with our own milestone of more than two million doses of NOBIVAC®
rabies vaccine donated,” said Dr. David Sutton, Technical Director,
MSD Animal Health.
About MSD Animal Health
Today's MSD is a global healthcare leader working to help the
world be well. MSD Animal Health, known as Merck Animal Health in
the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business
unit of MSD. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier
Animals™, MSD Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet
owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary
pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and
services. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and
improving the health, well-being and performance of animals. It
invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources
and a modern, global supply chain. MSD Animal Health is present in
more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some
150 markets. For more information, visit www.msd-animal-health.com
or connect with us on LinkedIn.
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Kenilworth, N.J., USA
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USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
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based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
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If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or
uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care
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toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new
products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent
in new product development, including obtaining regulatory
approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market
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The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
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_______________
1
Hampson K, Coudeville L, Lembo T, Sambo M, Kieffer A, Attlan
M, Barrat J, Blanton JD, Briggs DJ, Cleaveland S et al. (2015)
Estimating the Global Burden of Endemic Canine Rabies. PLoS Negl
Trop Dis 9(4): e0003709. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003709 2
World Health Organization. Rabies Fact
Sheet: Epidemiology. Accessed August 31, 2016 via
http://www.who.int/rabies/epidemiology/en/.
3 Hampson, K. Contact-tracing study data [unpublished]. June 2013.
4
Kaare M, Lembo T, Hampson K, et al. Rabies
control in rural Africa: evaluating strategies for effective
domestic dog vaccination. Vaccine. 2009;27(1):152–160.
5
World Health Organization. Bulletin of the
World Health Organization. “India’s ongoing war against rabies.”
Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Volume 87, Number 12,
December 2009, 885-964. Accessed June 17, 2015 via
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/12/09-021209/en/.
NOBIVAC® is a registered trademark of Intervet International
B.V., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160928005276/en/
MSD Animal HealthAmy Firsching,
+1-973-937-5453amy.firsching@merck.com
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