Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Pre-Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA) of the University of North Carolina Wilmington is organizing a no-cost rabies clinic in conjunction with the inaugural World Rabies Day on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007. Open to students, faculty, staff and the community, the clinic will provide free vaccinations for dogs, cats and ferrets from 1-3 p.m. in Lot K at the southwest corner of Trask Coliseum. This service is provided in partnership with the New Hanover County Health Department and New Hanover County Animal Control Services.

Since its inception, the PVMA has done an annual community service project. This year, the group is promoting rabies prevention by offering an on-campus rabies clinic to encourage vaccination of pet animals. While rabies kills 55,000 people worldwide, the institution of mandatory pet vaccination has significantly reduced the incidence of human rabies in the United States. Vaccinating pet animals serves as a barrier to preventing the disease in humans.

World Rabies Day is a global rabies awareness campaign spearheaded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.K. Alliance for Rabies Control. The campaign goal is to bring together relevant partners including international health organizations, national, state and local public health partners, professional organizations, commercial pharmaceutical companies and foundations in an effort to address rabies prevention and control globally. Events are planned throughout the world to increase awareness about rabies and to raise support and funding toward its control and prevention. The PVMA recognized an opportunity to increase rabies awareness locally and to work proactively to prevent the disease in conjunction with World Rabies Day. This event will be listed on the World Rabies Day website, www.worldrabiesday.org.

The clinic is one of many examples of university-community partnerships that benefit both UNC Wilmington and the surrounding community. In addition to the community partners, the PVMA no-cost rabies clinic is sponsored by the UNCW Student Government Association, the Hanover Kennel Club, the New Hanover Humane Society and College Road Animal Hospital. While vaccinations will be provided free of charge, donations toward the effort will be accepted the day of the clinic.

Media contacts:

Jenna Hargens, PVMA president, jennaharg@yahoo.com

Katie Hughes, PVMA vice president, kch4952@uncw.edu

Dana Fischetti, manager of news and media relations, UNC Wilmington, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu