Namibia has been implementing a robust national strategy to eliminate dog-mediated rabies.
The programme, which started in 2016, aims to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
This was highlighted at the Namibia national rabies elimination strategy review in a two-day meeting held in Ondangwa, Oshana Region.
The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Land Reform (MAFWLR) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation for Animal Health and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
It brought together key government ministries, NGOs, and international partners to evaluate Namibia's progress in the fight against rabies.
In 2024, in the Northern Communal Area, the Directorate of Veterinary Services successfully vaccinated some 157,000 dogs, reaching approximately 61% of the dog population.
Chief Veterinarian at the MAFWLR, Magrieta Hausiku, said, "In 2025, we vaccinated about 124,000 dogs, although slightly lower, still representing strong progress in areas south of the veterinary cordon fence; more than 31,000 dogs were vaccinated, also achieving around 61% coverage. While we have not yet reached our 70% target, these efforts mark an important step forward in our journey towards eliminating dog-mediated human rabies."
The Chief Veterinary Officer in the Agriculture Ministry, Dr. Kenneth Shoombe, said the meeting focuses on reviewing achievements up to 2025 in the fight against rabies and planning ahead to strengthen areas where they have not met their targets.
Dr. Shoombe said achieving the global target of zero human rabies deaths by 2030 requires strong collaboration across sectors.
He said he is pleased with the implementation of mass vaccination campaigns, which have resulted in many regions achieving vaccination coverage above 50% over the past two years.
Rabies Project Coordinator in the World Health Organisation for Animal Health, Tenzin Tenzin, said the implementation of the first pilot project to control rabies, which was launched in Namibia in 2016 for the northern communal areas, has yielded results.
"Over the past ten years, this initiative has delivered remarkable progress. The main indicator of the project is to reduce dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030 and achieve zero human deaths by 2030, and even before 2030."
Deputy Director of Epidemiology in the Health and Social Service Ministry, Iyaloo Mwaningange, said, "The Ministry of Health acknowledges the work that has been done so far in terms of rabies control, and as a ministry we have been committing ourselves to seeing to it that our population is protected from rabies."