09/29/2025
Local Veterinary Clinic Fights Global Rabies Crisis Through Partnership with Rabies Free Africa
Valley Veterinary Hospital & Cascade East Animal Clinic contributes to life-saving vaccination programs across Africa
As World Rabies Day approaches on September 28, 2025, our local veterinary clinic has joined more than 200 clinics nationwide in a partnership to eliminate rabies deaths across the African continent.
For every for every vaccination administered at their local practice, Valley Veterinary Hospital & Cascade East Animal Clinic donates $1 to the Rabies Free Africa program, which provides lifesaving vaccinations in Kenya and Tanzania.
Although entirely preventable, rabies remains a significant global health threat, killing up to 159,000 people annually worldwide. Over 99% of human rabies cases are transmitted by dogs, making dog vaccination programs the most effective prevention strategy. Through innovative smartphone-based dog identification systems and community outreach, Washington State University’s Rabies Free Africa works to eliminate this preventable disease at its source.
Rabies effects all of us. It is easy for us to forget how devastating this disease is since we have effectively eradicated it from our communities, but it important to remember why vaccinations are so important. Rabies has no cure, and although many Veterinarians will go their entire careers without ever seeing a case of it, the reality is that an estimated 21,000 to 25,000 people die from rabies annually in Africa; primarily due to dog bites. It is often the poorest nations that feel the brunt of this disease that is 100% preventable through vaccinations and education. We are so thankful that we are in the position to not only vaccinate the majority of animals we see, but that we can also donate to a program that does as much work for impoverished nations as the Rabies Free Africa program does.
By helping cover the cost of large-scale dog vaccination campaigns, Valley Veterinary Hospital & Cascade East Animal Clinic and the Rabies Free Africa program are reducing rabies transmission and saving human and animal lives across the African continent. For every 150 dogs vaccinated through these programs, approximately one person is prevented from being bitten by a rabid dog.
September Matching Opportunity
Throughout September 2025, donations to Rabies Free Africa will be matched up to $10,000, doubling the impact of each contribution. The program recently launched new digital platforms at rabiesfreeafrica.org to better connect supporters worldwide.
Sunday, September 28, is World Rabies Day, and Valley Veterinary Hospital & Cascade East Animal Clinic is proud to spotlight the role their community plays in the global effort to eliminate rabies.
About Rabies Free Africa
Rabies Free Africa is dedicated to eliminating rabies as a cause of human suffering and death in Africa through innovative research, smartphone-based dog identification, and community-led vaccination programs that reach even the most remote communities.
