The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)’s engagement towards Rabies Elimination in Africa

This review article highlights the role of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) towards dog-mediated rabies elimination in Africa. It provides a brief description of rabies and its global impact on humans and the role of the OIE in the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. In addition, it addresses the OIE international standards on rabies, the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway as a tool to assess the quality of Veterinary Services, the partnership with other international organizations under the “One Health” umbrella as applied in the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies, the rabies vaccine bank, the training of OIE national Focal Points, and laboratory twinning projects as a means to enhance capacity in the fight against dog-mediated human rabies in Africa. The article concludes by presenting specific pilot projects being undertaken by the OIE in Africa - as proof of concept - in view of scaling up activities in the African continent.