By Faraja Lupogo
My name is Dr Faraja Lupogo from Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma and a trainee in MSc in Monitoring and Evaluation at Uganda Martyr University (UMU). Working as a doctor in Tanzania, I have seen several school children dying from Rabies. The trend is similarly dreadful across Tanzania calling for a holistic and an integrated approach to prevent rabies in the country.
In 2024, I embarked on a transformative journey to attend a 5-week AFROHUN online training cohort on Transboundary Risk Communication and Community Engagement (TRCCE). Due to my exceptional performance, I was selected for the one-week experiential learning phase in Kilosa-Tanzania, a district with the highest rabies prevalence in the country.
Kilosa, notorious for its frequent dog bites and rabies cases, was the perfect site for this practical learning activity. I and the other 24 trainees from diverse African countries explored local markets, schools, auction marts, slaughterhouses, hospitals and waste disposal sites to investigate the behaviors of dogs and their owners, and the roles these behaviors play in the spread of rabies.
The findings were alarming and eye-opening. We discovered that risk perception in the region is dangerously low, and there is a high human-animal interface in villages near the national parks. Despite the urgent need for action, there are minimal human and structural resources mobilized under the One Health approach to address rabies and other zoonotic diseases.
In response to these challenges, we developed innovative solutions for rabies prevention and control. Among them were models leveraging existing livestock, human, and environmental structures, as well as enhanced multisectoral collaborations. We also advocated for the operationalization of Tanzania’s One Health Strategic Plan, a crucial step in the country’s efforts to eliminate rabies by 2030.
Remarkably, “working as a Medical Doctor in Tanzania, where rabies is always fatal regardless of it being preventable, understanding the context of TRCCE has improved my approach in addressing and managing rabies and, more importantly, other emerging health threats in the country.” Equipped with TRCCE, I look forward to improve the school led campaigns on Rabies with specific interest to increase the risk perception among the Maasai communities.
Expressing optimism about the future, “It is my hope that relevant sector ministries, including MoH, Livestock, Agriculture, and Environment, as well as implementing partners, will work hand in hand with AFROHUN to eliminate rabies”
My experience highlights the importance of the One Health approach, leaving no sector behind in the fight against zoonotic diseases like rabies. Through collaborative action, innovative thinking, and community engagement, the goal of eliminating rabies by 2030 is within reach.
Dr Faraja from Benjamin Mkapa Hospital Dodoma, cinsulting with a Village Chairman.