To curb the spread of rabies in Haiti, a canine vaccination campaign was launched in August with the goal of vaccinating about 140,000 dogs — including stray and community dogs — while also raising public awareness on rabies prevention.
Within the framework of PAHO’s Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 diseases and related conditions by 2030, the campaign is being led by Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development with technical support from the PAHO/WHO country office, PAHO’s Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In preparation for this activity, training was provided to four departmental coordinators, seventeen communal coordinators, and more than 480 veterinary auxiliary agents, who were later deployed in 240 teams across priority areas in the departments of Artibonite, Centre, Nord-Est, and Nord-Ouest. A key innovation this year is the use of a mobile application to register vaccinated dogs, allowing real-time data collection, coverage monitoring, and improved data quality.
“By vaccinating dogs on a large scale, we directly protect human communities—especially children. It’s a simple but vital action that saves lives,” explained Dr. Oscar Barreneche, PAHO/WHO representative in Haiti. “Rabies is lethal, but 100% preventable.”