Her Royal Highness’s Benevolence to All People and Animals…Towards the Sustainable Elimination of Rabies in Sakaeo, Prachinburi, and Chachoengsao Provinces
Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol, President of the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI), has unwaveringly dedicated Herself to improving the quality of life and livelihood of the Thai people through campaigns promoting good health and safety of the people from serious diseases, especially rabies, a life-threatening zoonotic disease with no cure. Once the disease shows its symptoms, it will be fatal to all infected individuals.
Driven by this strong commitment, the President of the CRI has relentlessly and concretely addressed the issues of rabies under HRH Princess Chulabhorn’s project on “Disease-free Animals, Safe Humans from Rabies”. Since 2016, Her Royal Highness has closely followed the situations of the spread of rabies in the country. Her Royal Highness is aware that more cases of the spread of rabies are currently found in the east, resulting in people’s death and widespread outbreaks among animals. Moreover, most local people still lack proper knowledge and understanding of the dangers posed by rabies. Concerned with these challenges, Her Royal Highness directed the Chulabhorn Veterinary Volunteer Unit to conduct activities in Sakaeo, Prachinburi, and Chachoengsao Provinces from April 4-6, 2025. Under Her Royal Highness’s leadership, veterinarians from the Chulabhorn Veterinary Volunteer Unit collaborated with their counterparts from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, local Provincial Livestock Offices, District 2 Livestock Office, and other relevant local agencies to provide comprehensive services, such as rabies vaccinations, sterilization of people-owned dogs and cats and stray animals, as well as trainings organized to promote knowledge and understanding and raise awareness of the importance of proper prevention of rabies to people, farmers, and village health volunteers, empowering them to share the acquired knowledge within their communities. These efforts aim to enhance the efficiency and elevate the prevention and control of rabies at the local level, paving the way for a rabies-free Thailand by 2030, in alignment with the target of the World Health Organization.
On this occasion, Her Royal Highness distributed rabies vaccines to the Chief of Provincial Livestock Office in each area for further administration across target groups of animals, namely stray dogs and cats to build herd immunity and in turn reduce local rabies rate. Vaccinated animals will have immunity to rabies for one year, contributing significantly to reducing rabies in both animals and humans.
During the mission, as a senior expert in Veterinary Surgery, Anesthesiology, Her Royal Highness performed veterinary work, taking part in veterinary anesthesia procedures for animals requiring surgery, collaborating with veterinarians from the Chulabhorn Veterinary Volunteer Unit tor sterilization and treatment of peoples’ dogs. Her Royal Highness was concerned with the conditions of the animals treated by Herself to ensure efficient implementation of the treatment plan, including planning of the use of anesthesia, using of anesthesia, and monitoring of vital signs equipped with veterinary medical equipment and devices of high safety standards. Sterilization remains the best and the safest permanent birth control method, helping to control dogs and cats population and prevent communal and social problems that could affect public health in the future. In summary, during the activities of the Chulabhorn Veterinary Volunteer Unit from April 4-6, 2025 covering the three Provinces, 379 dogs and cats were vaccinated against rabies and 465 were sterilized.
Her Royal Highness’s visionary leadership and strong commitment to promoting health and safety for both people and animals from rabies under HRH Princess Chulabhorn’s project on “Disease-free Animals, Safe Humans from Rabies” are clearly demonstrated in the concrete progress of these operations. The endeavors include raising veterinary service standard to comprehensively and equitably cover areas across the country, implementing vaccination campaigns for rabies-carrier animals, controlling animal population through sterilization, as well as cultivating responsible attitudes among pet owners to responsibly care for their pets to ensure more efficient management of surveillance, prevention, and control of rabies. Her Royal Highness has benevolently laid a crucial foundation to secure health security for humans and animals alike, guiding Thailand toward a robust and sustainable public health system.
Public Relations Section
Office of the President
April 8, 2025
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