Little Ousmane was at home in Faranah, central Guinea, when he noticed a stray dog outside. Curious and wanting to play, he approached the creature. But before he had time to react, the dog leapt up aggressively and bit him on the chest and hand.
His grandfather alerted the local Guinea Red Cross volunteers, who arrived quickly to tend to Ousmane, wash out his wounds, and track down the dog for investigation. Thankfully, they were able to arrange for Ousmane to get the necessary health treatment. Lab testing later confirmed the dog had rabies, meaning that without the quick action from volunteers, Ousmane likely wouldn’t have survived.
Ousmane plays with his friend after recovering from being bitten by a rabid dog with support from the Guinea Red Cross in Faranah, Guinea.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
An incident like this is a parent’s worst nightmare and a common worry among communities in Guinea. But through the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3), funded by USAID, the Guinea Red Cross is running different activities to reduce rabies risks and make sure deadly dog bites are a thing of the past.
Raising community awareness
Preventing the spread of diseases like rabies relies on communities having accurate and trusted information on how they can stay safe.
Guinea Red Cross volunteers, known and trusted by their communities, regularly go door-to-door, organize community meetings, and take part in local radio shows—educating people on rabies risks, how it’s spread, and how they can protect themselves.
A Guinea Red Cross volunteer with the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3) speaks to a family about the risks of rabies and how they can protect themselves.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
Through this engagement, communities learn the importance of reporting stray animals displaying unusual or aggressive behaviours and of looking out for signs of rabies within their own pets.
Supporting vaccination campaigns
Vaccinating dogs is the most effective preventive measure for reducing the risk of rabies.
But for a rabies vaccination drive to be successful, people in the community need to see the value of vaccinating their pets and—crucially—turn up in their droves on the day.
A boy takes his puppy to a rabies vaccination event in Faranah, Guinea in October 2023.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
That’s where the Guinea Red Cross comes in. While the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock provides the vaccines and veterinary staff to administer them, it’s Guinea Red Cross volunteers who drum up demand within communities and accompany people to their appointments.
“Thanks to the vaccination campaign, which we heard about from Red Cross volunteers, our dogs are no longer a threat—they are healthy companions. It’s an act of responsibility for the security of everyone. Vaccinating dogs protects our community,” explains Mamadi Fofana, a traditional healer and hunter from Faranah who was convinced to vaccinate his dogs against rabies.
Mamadi Fofana (left) from Faranah points to a poster about rabies presented by local Guinea Red Cross volunteer, Lancinet Conde.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
Keeping tabs on the canine population
Rabies vaccines don’t last forever, with animals requiring booster shots every 1-3 years to keep them rabies-free. So the Guinea Red Cross has set up a dog database to keep tabs on the canine population in Faranah.
Volunteers track when and how many vaccine doses have been administered, and record owner details so they can reach out when it’s time for a booster.
Guinea Red Cross volunteers with the CP3 Programme go door to door to record information about dog owners in Faranah so they can keep track of the canine population.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
If a bite incident occurs, the database helps them to track down the owner to investigate and conduct further engagement around the importance of taking responsibility for their animals.
The data is also used by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock so they know how many doses of vaccines are needed when planning dog vaccination drives.
Bite response and community-based surveillance
When someone in Faranah is scratched or bitten by a potentially rabid animal, Guinea Red Cross volunteers are usually the first to hear about it and arrive on scene.
Trained in epidemic control, they can provide crucial first aid. For suspected rabies, this involves vigorously washing out the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and wrapping it in a clean bandage while awaiting emergency health care.
Through a digital community-based surveillance system, called Nyss, volunteers quickly report bite incidents to their supervisors, who can then escalate the alert to local human, animal, and environmental health authorities for rapid investigation and treatment.
Time is of the essence when someone is bitten. As the eyes and ears within local communities, Guinea Red Cross volunteers play a vital role in detecting and alerting suspected rabies cases early to maximize people’s chances of survival.
Two young boys in Faranah play together with their pet dog.
Photo: Mouloukou Souleymane Manet/IFRC
The fight against rabies in Guinea is a marathon not a sprint. But with patient and continued engagement with local communities and strong collaboration with authorities in rapidly reporting and responding to bites, the Guinea Red Cross is supporting people in Faranah to stay safe and healthy from this deadly disease.
---
The activities featured in this article are part of the multi-country Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3).
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CP3 supports communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other partners to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to disease threats.
If you enjoyed this story and would like to learn more, sign up to the IFRC’s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Newsletter.