A photography contest highlighting efforts to eliminate rabies transmitted by dogs in the Americas was launched this week by the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center (PANAFTOSA) and other partners, in the lead-up to World Rabies Day, September 28.
Call for photo entries was announced at the 15th Meeting of Rabies Program Directors of the Americas (REDIPRA), held September 16-17 in Brasilia. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31
Brasilia, 17 September 2015 (PAHO/WHO-PANAFTOSA) — A photography contest highlighting efforts to eliminate rabies transmitted by dogs in the Americas was launched this week by the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center (PANAFTOSA) and other partners, in the lead-up to World Rabies Day, September 28.
"End Rabies Together" is the theme of this year's World Rabies Day, which seeks to raise public awareness of rabies and the need to join efforts to eliminate human deaths from the dangerous but entirely preventable disease.
"To end rabies in the Americas, we urgently need to combine the efforts of governments, NGOs, national and international organizations, the scientific community, civil society and the general population," said PANAFTOSA Director Ottorino Cosivi at the 15th Meeting of Rabies Program Directors of the Americas, held in Brasilia. "This contest is another instrument to fight this disease."
PANAFTOSA is a specialized center of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Guidelines for entering the photo contest are available at the website of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC). Entrants may submit up to three photos depicting activities related to the prevention and control of rabies transmitted by dogs, including dog vaccinations, post-exposure prophylaxis, and educational activities, among others.
Human rabies transmitted by dogs is in the process of being eliminated in the Americas. However some countries continue to report cases, most of them related to poverty and poor living environments in cities and border areas. The persistence of cases reflects ongoing gaps in canine vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance, access to post-exposure prophylaxis in health services, and other measures needed to ensure effective rabies prevention and control.
Last June, PAHO/WHO issued an epidemiological alert urging PAHO member countries to step up action in prevention and control of canine rabies to reduce the risk of human cases. The Organization also noted the importance of ensuring timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis as well as vaccination to save lives.
Winners of the photography contest will be chosen by a jury and announced on December 2, 2015. The winning photos will be published on PAHO's website and posted on social media sites. Winning photographers will receive a certificate.
Members of the Pan-American World Rabies Day Initiative include PAHO/WHO, the World Veterinary Association (WVA), the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) and the African Veterinary Association (AVA), World Animal Protection (WAP), the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the Pan American Veterinary Association (PANVET).
Instructions for submitting entries:
Photo contest entries should be submitted via the GARC's website pages on World Rabies Day Events. For photos related to registered events, find the event (see link below) and upload photos (three maximum) using the comment link at the bottom of the event description. For photos not related to a registered event, create a new "event" (see link below) and then upload the photo using the comment link that will appear at the bottom of the new event description.
Questions should be emailed to panaftosa@paho.org, with the subject line WRD 2015 Photo Contest.
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PAHO, founded in 1902, is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.
Contest links
— Authorization form for use of images
Related links
— Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC)
— World Veterinary Association (WVA)
— World Animal Protection (WAP)
— World Small Animals Veterinary Association (WSAVA)
— American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA)
— Pan American Veterinary Association (PANVET)
— Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)
— North American Veterinary Community (NAVC)
— https://twitter.com/pahowho #Rabies
