International course on Surveillance and Control of Rabies

Zimbabwe – 2 to 12 December 2024

This 10-day on-site course is organized by the Department of Veterinary Services and the Faculty of Veterinary Science of Zimbabwe, the Institut Pasteur in Paris, The French Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), The French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), The National institute of Health research in Zimbabwe, with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, the Health Sciences eTraining Foundation (HSeT) and the Pasteur Network, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Austral Africa (COHESA) and the French Embassy in Zimbabwe. This course will be the eighth edition in a series that have been organized in Senegal in 2013, in Cambodia in 2015, in Cameroon in 2016, in Iran in 2017, in Morocco in 2019, in Ivory Coast in 2022 and Cameroon in 2023.

The purpose of this course is to provide a practical training on rabies with a special focus on Southern Africa for professionals of animal and human public health sectors. The course will emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary approach and intersectoral cooperation. The training objectives below have been constructed to address critical issues surrounding the present rabies situation in endemic countries, in particular in Southern Africa.

Training objectives:

• To increase awareness and communication about rabies in Southern Africa.
• To identify gaps and discuss opportunities for rabies control and elimination in Southern Africa and elaborate on strategic and practical solutions. 
• To improve knowledge and practice on rabies epidemiological data in particular rabies incidence.
• To discuss the present situation of rabies prophylaxis in humans and propose practical solutions to increase access to post-exposure prophylaxis.
• To increase knowledge on dog rabies vaccination and other approaches for dog population management. 
• To create an inter-sectorial regional rabies network and to promote one health approach and dog vaccination to control rabies in Southern Africa.

This course will take advantage of the new possibilities offered by e-Learning and already existing documents from WHO, WOAH, GARC, other international organizations and networks. A pre-training assessment tool will be provided to select applicants and prepare trainees to participate actively in discussions and practical activities during the workshop. To complete this pre-training session, applicants will require approximately 70 hours of personnel work during two months (Sept-October 2024). The trainees will have access to these functionalities through a dedicated webpage. The on-site course (10 days), to be held in December 2024 in Zimbabwe, will focus on practical sessions, such as bench work, demonstrations, and hands-on sessions, which will complement the theoretical part (pre-training session and lectures).

Language: English

Who should apply: physicians, veterinarians, and specialists in infectious diseases, virology and/or epidemiology with at least a bachelor degree and preferentially a master degree. Public health officers involved in the control of zoonotic diseases are strongly encouraged to participate. Preference is given to applications from Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi…). However, be aware that the selection to the course does not guarantee the VISA approval. 

Training costs:

Registration fees and local expenses of selected applicants (accommodation, food) will be covered by the organizing committee. No per diem will be awarded, however, the organizing committee will be able to provide several travel grants on-request.

Application deadline 11^th of August 2024: application form 

Focal points:

M. Lambert Fadzai Gwenhure: gwenhure@icloud.com

Dr. Perrine Parize: perrine.parize@pasteur.fr 

Dr. Florian Liégeois : florian.liegeois@ird.fr