The team was proud to welcome the Mission Rabies team, accompanied by their impressive mobile veterinary clinic, to the clinic this week. Fitzpatrick Referrals is proud to sponsor Luck Gamble and the Mission Rabies team as they embark on their newest mission in the fight against the horrors that the rabies virus can cause in both animals and humans.
Every 2 seconds someone is bitten by a dog in India and around 24 people a day suffer an excruciating death from rabies – over half of which are children. The Mission Rabies team are set to embark on a 30-day mass vaccination campaign in September 2013, which will run every September thereafter, to coincide with World Rabies Day. The World Health Organisation recognizes mass dog vaccination as one of the most effective methods of control the spread of the disease in both dogs and humans and the Mission Rabies teams hopes to educate as many people as possible in India as to the benefits of vaccinating canines against rabies.
The post-bite treatment and immunization of humans bitten by dogs infected with rabies costs the Indian economy over $25 million a year. The Mission Rabies team aims to combine vaccination with neutering programs to help slow the growth of the dog population and make the vaccination program more successful. This combination of action and education will ease the financial burden placed on the Indian economy through the treatment of rabies, encourage giant leaps forward in animal welfare and have a huge impact on public health.
The Mercedes Zetros 6×6 Truck is the centerpiece of the Mission Rabies campaign, weighing in at over 27 tones, it is a monster vehicle with a giant 7.2-liter engine pumping out 356 BHP and reaching a top speed of 55 mph. While the trucks vital statistics are more than impressive, what lies inside will blow your mind. Walking up the steps into the belly of the truck it is breath taking to find a complete veterinary surgery sitting inside. A sterile operating theatre, x-ray machine, dental machine, ultrasound machine, microscope, pressurized autoclave and patient kennels are all contained within the truck. What makes this mobile clinic incredibly special though is the fact that it is also a state fo the art teaching facility. A audio-visual system displays exactly what is happening inside theatre to a huge TV screen on the exterior of the truck. This allows vets in India to learn clinical skills and procedures from the Mission Rabies team in a controlled environment.
Fitzpatrick Referrals is proud to support the Mission Rabies project and we hope the team fulfills their goals and remain safe during their trip. Visit their website, keep up to date with the trip on their Facebook page and twitter and take the time to pledge your support to this worthy cause by donating online.
