One Health in the Argan Forest

You can make a difference on Bonus Day, July,18, as your donation will be matched at 50% 

As we were preparing our next One Health intervention in the argan Biosphere Reserve scheduled for September, we urgently need to raise an additional £3,500 to conduct education, awareness and vaccination campaign in 5 villages (£700/village).

Our next intervention consists in a One Health awareness campaign in schools and women's associations on three major zoonotic diseases affecting Amazigh families in the argan forest, all of which can involve dogs, as well as vaccination campaign of dogs against rabies. This first intervention will take place in 5 villages in the argan forest.

These three diseases represent a real risk for families living in the argan forest as an increasing number of dogs have gone completely feral and now live in packs near villages, occasionally attacking people or foraging for food near houses:

- Rabies is a disease affecting mainly children, transmitted by dog bites and always fatal once symptoms appear. It is the most deadly zoonotic disease.

- Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease transmitted by sandflies which also feed on dogs and rodents. The disease has increasing dramatically in recent months.

- Cystic echinococcosis is a parasitic disease caused by tapeworms of dogs and sheep which affects a majority of women. It can causing a massive liver damage which sometimes necessitates surgical intervention.

One of the first steps in reducing the risks of such diseases is to inform and educate populations most at risks through awareness campaigns, and to vaccinate when possible. We will educate children and their families on how to prevent these zoonotic diseases through simple measures, ranging from adopting the right behavior in front of a feral dog and what to do in case of a dog bite, to better hygiene and the control of mosquitoes at home as well as improved garbage management. We will also vaccinate dogs in villages against rabies, since the vaccination is the most effective tool to protect the population against the disease.

Our September campaign will involve teams of veterinarians as well as 20 vet students who will then be also trained into the One Health approach.

Save the Date Bonus Day: July,18, We count on you.

Your support has been invaluable in making us achieve great progress and we have just returned from the field where we were preparing our next One Health intervention scheduled for September, with a massive dog rabies vaccination and awareness campaign in the project area in the argan Biosphere Reserve.

The overall objective of our project is to improve the health of local Berber women - the true custodians of the endemic argan forest - and their families, as well as that of their animals and their environment by addressing specific health challenges at the interface between humans, animals and the ecosystem.

Rabies is a critical issue as it is still endemic in Morocco, especially in remote rural areas where we are working. It is always fatal once symptoms have appeared and as such is the most dangerous zoonotic disease.

When we talked to children in schools in the project area, most of them had a story to tell us about themselves or about one of their friends having been bitten by a dog. Since dogs are not vaccinated, the only treatment is then for the kid to be taken to the nearest hospital, most often miles away, to receive post-exposure treatment which has to be repeated three times. An additional problem is the increasing population of stray dogs in the area, which have returned to a feral life and are now aggressive towards humans, especially children.

We are preparing the campaign with school teachers who are welcoming the project with great enthusiasm since our work will help protect children and their families against this fatal disease.

WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE.

We are actively seeking more funds to continue our pilot project as indicated on our fund-raising chart.