New rabies vaccine strategy offers hope for rural communities in Kenya, Tanzania

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animal, mainly dogs. [Courtesy]

In remote villages across Kenya and Tanzania, a single dog bite can trigger a deadly countdown. Despite being entirely preventable, rabies continues to claim lives, especially in rural areas.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), rabies kills nearly 59,000 people globally each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. In Kenya, approximately 2,000 people die from the disease annually, many of them children.