The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) participated in a four-day workshop held in Zanzibar from October 26–29, 2026, to develop and validate Zanzibar’s Rabies Control and Elimination Strategy, supporting government-led efforts to strengthen rabies prevention, control and elimination.

The workshop brought together stakeholders to contribute technical expertise and inform the development of an evidence-based strategy aimed at eliminating dog-mediated human rabies deaths in Zanzibar.

IHI was represented by Dr. Joel Changalucha and Dr. Maganga Sambo, who contributed their expertise to discussions on strengthening rabies control efforts and identifying strategic approaches to support effective and sustainable interventions.

Rabies remains a significant public health concern, particularly in communities where exposure to infected dogs poses a risk to human health. Developing a coordinated strategy is an important step towards improving prevention, surveillance and response efforts while strengthening collaboration across relevant sectors.

IHI's participation reflects its continued commitment to supporting government-led public health initiatives through scientific evidence, research expertise and collaboration.

The strategy development process marks an important step towards advancing Zanzibar’s efforts to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies deaths and protect communities from this preventable disease.