It was hot and humid these April days in the Duc Hue District in the southwest of Vietnam, when a team of veterinarian experts, local authorities, a group of university students and employees of Boehringer Ingelheim, started their vaccination expedition. Fully vaccinated against rabies themselves and led by Professor Thong Quang Le from the Nong Lam University, the expedition team made its way to the affected villages. The goal was to not only vaccinate the animals but also educate the villagers on the importance of rabies prevention.

In recent years, there has been an increase in rabies infections in this region, with the lack of available resources and a low public awareness of the dangers of rabies as the main reasons for the rise. With about 50 percent of vaccinated animals in the last couple of years, the vaccination rate in the Duc Hue District was too low to ensure extensive protection. “There have been human rabies deaths in previous years, which is really worrying. People’s awareness of the is still quite limited”, explains Thong Quang Le.

Thanks to the vaccine campaign in the Duc Hue District, we are now one step further in the fight against rabies. To ensure successful and lasting accomplishment, the collaboration of many stakeholders was needed. In the case of this vaccine campaign, not only BI and the Nong Lam University were involved, but also the Provincial Center of Disease Control, the People’s Committee of Duc Hue District, the Center of Pet Animal Protection Studies as well as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Provincial Department of Livestock, Animal Health and Fisheries.

“The targeted vaccination of more than 6,000 dogs and cats against rabies in the Duc Hue District proof that if animals are healthy, humans are healthier too”, says Dr. Torsten Hardge, Head of Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam. “As a family-owned company, we are proud to leverage our expertise in vaccines for the good health of people and animals in the communities in which we operate” adds Dr. Björn Rambags, General Manager BI Vietnam and Head of Human Pharma. The rabies vaccination effort in Long An is part of the regional corporate social responsibility effort of Boehringer Ingelheim to focus efforts in helping to fight rabies in vulnerable communities in Southeast Asia.