Veterinarians Without Borders bringing rabies education into schools
New program designed to educate on prevention and identification of the disease
A new toolkit designed by Veterinarians Without Borders for use in northern communities aims to educate on rabies identification, prevention, and treatment. (Photo courtesy of Veterinarians Without Borders)
Veterinarians Without Borders is bringing its message on the risks associated with rabies into northern classrooms.
For its rabies education program, the group has shipped a toolkit of teaching materials to one school in every Nunavut community.
Tailored specifically for students in grades 5 and 6, the program teaches how rabies can spread. It also explains how to recognize signs of the disease and what to do if you’ve come into contact with an infected animal.
That age group was chosen because “it’s an age where we could incorporate many of the curriculum subject requirements to make it easy for teachers to implement,” said Marieke van der Velden, Veterinarians Without Borders’ northern Canada program manager.
Students will get the confidence to implement and share what they’ve learned with their families, she said in an interview.
The educational materials detail how rabies can be spread to dogs from Arctic or red foxes — and how the disease can be deadly for an infected person who does not quickly receive medical care.
Some of the symptoms of rabies in dogs include aggression, biting their own body, unusual friendliness, and drooling more than usual.
In a news release Monday, Veterinarians Without Borders said the first-of-its-kind program provides teachers three 45-minute lessons with presentations, handouts and a feedback ticket for educators.
A children’s book titled Ulaayu Learns About Rabies is incorporated into the lesson plan. The book tells the story of a young girl who encounters a rabid fox while out hunting with her family.
The education kit is available in English as well as three dialects of Inuktitut: North Baffin, Kivalliq and Inuinnaqtun.
During the spring and fall seasons, Veterinarians Without Borders operates temporary veterinary clinics across remote Nunavut communities where it offers vaccinations, spay and neuter services and other wellness checks.
“Lack of access to veterinary care across the North continues to create a large barrier to ensuring animals and pet guardians have access to vaccinations and more,” the organization said in the release.
“At this time, across the entire territory of Nunavut, there is not a single veterinary clinic.”
Why is it left to a non-Nunavut not-for-profit organization to educate our kids about this common wildlife disease and risk? Rabies is not a new thing for Nunavut; it is a fixture of our environment. It would seem to be a normal and regular thing for us to have our children be aware of this disease and how not to contract it.
Here we have a whole Department of Environment, with wildlife officers in virtually every community. They are experts in wildlife, and are paid and resourced to provide service in the community. What are they not doing anything to promote rabies awareness?
Here we also have a whole Department of Health, again with Community Health Representatives in almost every community in the territory. They are experts in public health, and are paid and resourced to provide service in the community. Why are they not doing anything to promote rabies awareness?
It makes you wonder how Veterinarians Without Borders developed its rabies materials. Public program funding no doubt.
The duplication or even triplication of effort and funding to achieve one basic task in Nunavut is truly stunning. Who knows how many more houses or food support could be provided to people if we only had to pay for one thing once?