A VETERINARY charity based in Dorset is reaching out for volunteers to participate in a mass dog vaccination drive in Mumbai as part of its Mission Rabies project.

Rabies control efforts are on the rise in India, where a third of all human cases occur.

The global impact of the disease results in approximately 59,000 deaths each year, with 20,000 of these fatalities occurring in India.

In February 2024, the Worldwide Veterinary Service, an international charity founded by Dr Luke Gamble in Cranbourne, Dorset, plans to deliver a mass canine vaccination in Mumbai, India's most densely populated city.

Dr Luke Gamble is calling on people to join the team of international volunteers to help save lives and change history.

Infected dog bites are the leading cause of rabies in people, and studies have proven that mass canine vaccination programmes are the most effective way to control the disease.

CEO Dr Luke Gamble said: "In a world where rabies still tragically claims tens of thousands of lives every year, mostly in children, we have the power to prevent this.

"Nearly all human rabies cases stem from infected dog bites, a stark reality that drives our relentless pursuit to combat this disease at its very root."

The project aims to vaccinate 70% of the dog population, which is the coverage needed to eliminate the disease in dogs and prevent human deaths.

Mission Rabies first launched in India when 60,000 dogs were vaccinated in Goa over four weeks.

Dr Gamble said: "Our ground-breaking work in Goa has shown that it's possible to eliminate canine rabies but also to safeguard human lives from this entirely preventable yet devastating disease."

He added: "By joining this campaign, volunteers aren't just part of a mission; they're part of a historic movement, shaping a safer, rabies-free world for humans and dogs."

The 2024 drive will begin an annual mass dog vaccination project in Mumbai as part of a broader national plan in India to eliminate human rabies deaths by 2030.

Mission Rabies is now recruiting volunteers to work within these teams.

Readers can find out more and apply at missionrabies.com/volunteer.