Dr Charlotte Philip has been shortlisted for the World Rabies Day Awards, making her the only South African to make the list this year!
South Africa (29 September 2021) – Dr Charlotte Philip from Khula Vet has been shortlisted for the 2020 World Rabies Day Awards. The proudly South African vet is one of twelve worldwide shortlisted for the awards. She has been shortlisted for the Education Champion Award.
World Rabies Day takes place on the 28th of September. Rabies has been making headlines in South Africa for the last few weeks, and pet owners are being urged to get their pets vaccinated.
According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) rabies is a viral infection of the nervous system. It affects domestic and wild animals but is most commonly found in domestic dogs here in South Africa. Although a fatal infection, rabies can be controlled through vaccination of domestic dogs (and cats) and the use of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis in exposed human cases.
The Khula Vet does educational work, helping young, new vets establish themselves and get as much experience as possible.
“The first few years of practice are arguably the most challenging and stressful times in one’s veterinary career. Khula Vet was born from our passion to help our young colleagues build resilience in this demanding profession, expand their capabilities, and ultimately thrive as vets. It is our hope that through this support, our colleagues can flourish, find fulfilment in this unique industry and create a ripple effect in their surrounding communities. Khula has expanded this bespoke training to include veterinary nurses, animal health technicians, kennel staff and receptionists.”
Dr Charlotte and Dr Michelle Armour set up an outreach to help get to communities. They are promoting rabies awareness to try and combat the crisis that is emerging in South Africa.
“Khula Outreach was created to address the need for increased rabies awareness across South Africa, starting in KwaZulu-Natal (one of the provinces most heavily impacted by rabies). The goal is to inspire our younger generation of vets to become leaders in rabies management and drivers of primary health care in rural communities.
The Khula Outreach Student Elective Program offers a platform for final year veterinary students to contribute to the fight against rabies in a meaningful way. We aim for rabies management to be a fundamental part in every South African vet student’s journey. By empowering the future leaders of our profession, we hope to create ambassadors for rabies education. We believe we can greatly contribute to a sustainable rabies management strategy for years to come.”
Dr Charlotte and Dr Michelle have vaccinated over 1300 animals to date and hope to reach 2000 by the end of 2021. The award nomination has helped raise awareness for their cause.
You can vote for Dr Charlotte Philip here. The public voting will be open until 22 October 2021. If you would like to support the outreach, you can visit the website here.
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