Protecting paws and people: Vet volunteer Andrea helps to combat rabies in Cambodia

From 21st October to 4th November 2024, 287 vaccination teams worked across the Provinces of Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Battambang (Cambodia) in a united effort to protect human and animal lives from rabies. Working in close collaboration with General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP) and Animal Rescue Cambodia, 229,488 dogs were successfully vaccinated against rabies during this two-week intensive campaign.  

Vet Andrea Alfred travelled all the way from Canada to volunteer with us on this life-saving mission to stop people and dogs dying from this cruel disease – a disease so deadly that it takes a human life every nine minutes globally. Keep reading to find out more about Andrea’s experience vaccinating our four-legged friends across the Province of Phnom Penh.  

‘I first heard about Mission Rabies at the excellent global symposium “vaccination unites us” sponsored by Nobivac in 2023. I was immediately drawn to the significance and the importance of the mission.  Rabies can be eliminated. Needless death can be prevented. The vaccine is so effective, but only once it has been given to countless dogs. 

In October/November 2024 I enjoyed personally having the opportunity to make a difference in the fight against rabies. I was financially supported by Merck and VetStrategy to participate in the Mission Rabies mass canine rabies vaccination campaign project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2024. It was a joint effort with the Cambodian Government, Animal Rescue Cambodia, and Mission Rabies, support by other project partners. 

Over the course of two weeks in October and November, this project managed to vaccinate over 229,000 dogs in three provinces and the post-vaccination survey confirmed that we achieved the 70% vaccination coverage required for herd immunity with the rabies vaccine. The impact should be significant and reduce the risk of human death from rabies in this area. 

I was very impressed by the scope of this project and by what was accomplished. I was delighted to realise that the Cambodian government was being supported by Mission Rabies to make this large-scale project possible and sustainable. I am happy that I was not involved in the organisational side of it because I cannot imagine the amount of work that went into making something happen at this scale in only two weeks. I am thankful for all the people involved that made this project successful and am pleased with my small contribution.  

I was involved as an international volunteer and my role was to, along with a Cambodian student and a tuk tuk driver, go door to door in a designated area in the province of Phnom Penh. We would provide information about rabies including what to do if you are exposed to rabies and how to recognise a dog with rabies. We would then offer to vaccinate any dogs with a rabies vaccine. The vast majority of Cambodians we spoke with were very friendly and pleased to let us vaccinate their dogs.  

There were unfortunately a number of dogs that the owners were unable to catch or hold to receive the vaccine, but there were only a very few people that I encountered that had dogs and refused to let us vaccinate their dogs saying that they didn’t think rabies was a problem. Happily there were people that we met that already had their dogs vaccinated. There were also a few delighted people that happily showed us their vaccine certificate from last year and let us vaccinate their dogs again this year. The smiling faces of the thankful people of Cambodia as they realised that we were offering free rabies vaccines is one of my favourite memories of the trip. We were walking up to people in their yards and generally were met with smiles and appreciation. 

I really enjoy travelling and seeing new countries, but not as a typical tourist. I had never been to Southeast Asia before. I like meeting local people and being useful. Being able to support the Cambodian government in carrying out this years’ mass rabies vaccination campaign was the highlight of my year. It was hard work in very hot and sometimes wet conditions. It was an amazing experience and I would highly recommend anyone interested to look into future Mission Rabies projects either in Cambodia or in other parts of the world.’ 

Want to be part of this life-saving mission? 

View our latest projects online or register your interest to be the first to hear about new volunteer opportunities! At our global projects, we have roles for anyone wishing to volunteer – you don’t need to be a veterinary professional.