How Namibia is working toward eliminating rabies with oral rabies vaccines
published on
09/28/2025
written by
Dr. Tenzin Tenzin
Dr. Tenzin is a Veterinary Epidemiologist who joined WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for Southern Africa office, Gaborone, Botswana in May 2019 as Rabies Project Coordinator. He coordinates Rabies and TADs projects in Namibia and provides technical support across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
This World Rabies Day, with the theme ‘Act Now: You, Me, Community’, we are reminded that tackling rabies is a shared responsibility. Whether through responsible dog ownership or supporting vaccination efforts, every action counts. Discover how Namibia is turning this call into action with oral rabies vaccines in dogs, bringing hope to communities working to overcome dog-mediated rabies.
Rabies continues to be a serious public health concern in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and Asia. In Namibia, the threat of dog-mediated rabies is especially pronounced in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs), where human and animal populations live in close contact. These NCAs encompass eight regions: Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati, Ohangwena, Kunene, Kavango East, Kavango West, and Zambezi. This vast area, covering approximately 263,376 km², is home to around 1.7 million people and an estimated 272,000 dogs—many of which are free-roaming but are accessible for vaccinations.
In response to this threat, the Namibian government, guided by the One Health approach, launched a National Rabies Control Strategy in 2015. The overarching aim is to contribute to the global goal of ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. A cornerstone of this strategy has been the implementation of mass dog vaccination (MDV) campaigns across the NCAs, initially piloted in Oshana in 2016 and gradually expanded to all eight regions.
While MDV has shown promise, achieving high vaccination coverage in free-roaming dog populations remains a persistent challenge. More than 90 percent of owned dogs in the NCAs roam freely, and although they are technically accessible, some are too aggressive or unmanageable to be presented at central vaccination points. Some dog owners would not present their dogs to the vaccination points due to logistical constraints. This reality has hindered efforts to reach the critical 70 percent vaccination coverage needed to break rabies transmission cycles.
To complement the parenteral vaccination program, we have explored the use of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) in dogs in Namibia. These initiatives spearheaded by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) team in Germany, applies a method that has long been used successfully in Europe and North America to control rabies in wildlife. Recognising its potential, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released new guidelines in 2023 for integrating ORV into dog rabies control programmes.
In collaboration with the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Windhoek, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) team evaluated the immunogenicity of ORV in Namibian dogs. The study confirmed that a single oral vaccine bait is sufficient to immunise a dog effectively, laying the foundation for field application.
Based on these findings, the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) Namibia and the FLI initiated a pilot ORV field trial in 2020 in the Oshana and Omusati regions, funded by the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP) of the German Ministry of Health. This marked a significant step toward adapting this innovative tool to the unique challenges of Africa’s rabies-endemic regions.
As Dr. Thomas Müller, Veterinarian from The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) puts it:
We are here at the forefront of field research to bring this novel tool into application in Africa and elsewhere. We are confident that this method can greatly contribute to the global aim of ending dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.
In 2022, a follow-up trial was carried out in the Zambezi region, an area epidemiologically well-suited for sustainable rabies elimination. With a human population of 142,000 and a dog population of around 19,000, achieving 70 percent coverage is feasible. Yet prior to 2022, no large-scale MDV had taken place, and human rabies death risk prompted an emergency ORV-only response.
During the 2022 ORV trial, four teams vaccinated 3,097 dogs over four working days. Impressively, 88 percent of dogs offered a bait were considered successfully vaccinated. The team achieved a rate of more than 23 dogs vaccinated per hour, demonstrating not only the feasibility of ORV but also its efficiency in reaching large numbers of dogs, including those that are difficult to handle using conventional methods.
In June 2024, we conducted a large-scale ORV campaign in Zambezi, representing the world’s largest field trial on ORV in dogs to date. The campaign was strategically targeted in the villages and communities at higher human and dog density areas, where the risk of rabies transmission is greatest. Using 10 mobile teams, each made up of just two people, we covered the region in four days, offering baits to 9,343 dogs and vaccinating an average of 26 dogs per hour. Approximately 48 percent of the dog population was successfully vaccinated during this effort.
The response from local communities was overwhelmingly positive. Dog owners were surprised—and relieved—to see their animals vaccinated without the use of needles or the need for restraint. This ease of administration contributed significantly to owner compliance and campaign success. Each team also engaged in community education, raising awareness about rabies and the benefits of ORV.
We employed the WVS/Mission Rabies Mobile App to digitally capture and track vaccination data in real time. This allowed us to visualize coverage areas, identify gaps, and redirect teams to ensure more comprehensive coverage. We also used loud hailers to increase awareness during village visits, which proved vital in garnering community support.
Complementing this ORV campaign, central point vaccinations (CPV) and combined dog vaccinations during foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) cattle campaigns in 2024 led to an additional 4,174 dogs being vaccinated. Together, these efforts significantly boosted overall vaccination coverage of 69% in the region.
To evaluate the true impact of these interventions, a post-vaccination monitoring survey was conducted in 2024 and results were compared to a previous knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) study. The recent survey not only confirmed the rise in vaccination rates but also demonstrated a lower rabies incidence in the region. Improved education and awareness campaigns, targeted interventions in low-coverage areas, and enhanced surveillance are recommended to further reduce rabies incidence.
The ultimate goal is to integrate ORV as a routine component of Namibia’s national rabies control programme. With these promising results and continued support from our international partners, Namibia is well on its way to becoming a model for rabies elimination in sub-Saharan Africa.
As researchers and public health professionals, we remain committed to refining and expanding the use of ORV across the NCAs and beyond. The journey toward zero human rabies deaths is challenging, but with innovation, collaboration, and community engagement, it is one we are determined to complete.
The Animal Echo aims to promote individual and collective understanding of animal health and welfare. We bring you insights and opinions from experts across the world. The opinions expressed in The Animal Echo are those of the author (s) and may not necessarily reflect WOAH’s official position.
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