World Rabies Day: Making the Most of Your Event
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World Rabies Day: Making the most of your event Thank you! By organizing a World Rabies Day event you are taking part in a global movement to put an end to the unnecessary suffering caused by rabies. You and people like you are what make World Rabies Day the global phenomenon that it is. This manual was created to help you plan and communicate your World Rabies Day event to different audiences. We welcome your feedback to improve this resource – email us at [email protected] with your suggestions. Contents The Basics of World Rabies Day .................................................................................................................... 3 When is World Rabies Day? ...................................................................................................................... 3 What is World Rabies Day? ....................................................................................................................... 3 What is a World Rabies Day event? .......................................................................................................... 4 Why should I register my event? .............................................................................................................. 4 Why does World Rabies Day help? ........................................................................................................... 4 Registering your event .............................................................................................................................. 4 Ideas for World Rabies Day ........................................................................................................................... 5 The following questions may help you to decide what to do for World Rabies Day: ............................... 5 Ideas for events to raise awareness of rabies prevention ........................................................................ 6 It’s all about you! ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Key messages ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Planning an event ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Who are you working with? .................................................................................................................... 12 Where will you hold your event? ............................................................................................................ 12 When will you hold your event? ............................................................................................................. 12 What is your budget? .............................................................................................................................. 12 What do you need to do? ....................................................................................................................... 12 Event Planning Checklist ............................................................................................................................. 15 World Rabies Day is an initiative of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control https://rabiesalliance.org World Rabies Day 2021 Event organization manual 2 Event communications................................................................................................................................ 17 What, When, Who, Why, Where and How? ........................................................................................... 17 Radio and TV ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Press conferences ................................................................................................................................... 18 Social Media ............................................................................................................................................ 20 How to get results: Partner, Promote, Cross-Promote ....................................................................... 21 Appendix 1: Modifiable press releases ....................................................................................................... 23 Background information for press releases ............................................................................................ 26 About rabies ........................................................................................................................................ 26 About World Rabies Day ..................................................................................................................... 26 About the Global Alliance for Rabies Control ..................................................................................... 26 Appendix 2: Public Service Announcements .............................................................................................. 27 General Radio PSA .................................................................................................................................. 27 Modifiable Radio PSA .............................................................................................................................. 27 Appendix 3: Background on rabies ............................................................................................................. 28 Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Prognosis ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Prevention ............................................................................................................................................... 28 Geography ............................................................................................................................................... 28 A neglected disease that perpetuates poverty ....................................................................................... 29 Dogs ........................................................................................................................................................ 29 Some key challenges to rabies prevention ............................................................................................. 29 Preventing dog rabies is the key to saving human lives ......................................................................... 29 Appendix 4: Introducing World Rabies Day to your colleagues ................................................................. 31 Rabies: Did you know? ............................................................................................................................ 31 Why does rabies still cause deaths? ....................................................................................................... 31 What is World Rabies Day? ..................................................................................................................... 32 Appendix 5: Additional resources: .............................................................................................................. 33 Become a certified rabies educator ........................................................................................................ 33 World Rabies Day resources ................................................................................................................... 33 Share your events with the world ........................................................................................................... 33 World Rabies Day is an initiative of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control https://rabiesalliance.org World Rabies Day 2021 Event organization manual 3 The Basics of World Rabies Day When is World Rabies Day? World Rabies Day is held annually on September 28. It is the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur, who developed the first rabies vaccine and laid the foundations for rabies prevention as we know it. What is World Rabies Day? World Rabies Day is held on September 28 every year with hundreds of thousands of people organizing or participating in events and activities to celebrate rabies prevention efforts and unite against rabies. Whether you’re a veterinarian, a medical professional, a teacher, a dog-lover or even someone who just cares about your community, it is a chance to organize or take part in an event that raises awareness about rabies and its prevention. It is the first and only global advocacy, education, and awareness campaign for rabies. It has the support of all international health organizations and major stakeholders including the WHO, OIE, FAO and the US CDC, among many others. To date it has reached over 150 million people with rabies prevention messages and re-initiated rabies prevention in many parts of the world. World Rabies Day continues to reach new audiences: in 2020 over 250 events were registered on the GARC website, from 55 countries. Each year a different theme is selected for World Rabies Day. For 2021, the World Rabies Day theme is Rabies: Facts, Not Fear. This theme highlights critical aspects in where we are now in our fight against rabies, and