To promote rabies awareness in conjunction with World Rabies Day, the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA) organized and staffed a booth at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market in November. The booth consisted of literature concerning rabies on a local and world level, a spinning wheel game with prizes for answering trivia questions, and physical exams on students’ pets for the children. Overall, it was a rousing day with many passersby stopping at the booth on the brisk November morning. Visitors included multiple individuals who had received the rabies vaccine series due to animal bites and one woman who knew of someone who died of the disease in Oregon.
The mission of World Rabies Day is to raise awareness about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it, and how to eliminate the main global sources. The 2011 World Rabies Day will occur on Sept. 28.