Second Meeting: South Asia Rabies Laboratory Network (SA-RABNET)

Background

WOAH Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific (RRAP) in collaboration with Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), India, organised the first meeting of the South Asia Rabies Laboratory Network (SA-RABNET) on 6 April 2023, held virtually. A total of 22 participants, including 14 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, were in attendance.

At the meeting, the network’s terms of reference were endorsed: to strengthen the diagnostic and surveillance capabilities of the National Lead Rabies Laboratories in South Asia. Members agreed to meet virtually once every six months to discuss key progress and challenges in pursuit of rabies elimination from South Asia.

Objectives

The 2nd Meeting of SA-RABNET was held with the following objectives:

• Share Members’ updates on recent progress and follow-up actions since the 1st SA-RABNET meeting
• Share findings of phylogenetic analysis of rabies viruses circulating in Sri Lanka and its implications for South Asia.
• Discuss the potential role of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) in the control and elimination of rabies in South Asia.

Details

Date: 23 November 2023

Venue: Virtual

Participation: By invitation

Documents

• Agenda
• Meeting Report