RENTON, Wash. – A Washington State University rabies vaccination clinic in Tanzania will get a visit from the Seattle Sounders Football Club (major league soccer) this week.
With the Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA), the delegation will visit three state organizations with a presence in the Arusha region of northeast Tanzania: World Vision, PATH and WSU’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health.
The Sounders FC named WGHA a community partner in 2009. WGHA catalyzes innovative partnerships between traditional and unexpected organizations and people to improve health globally and locally.
“WGHA is delighted to partner with the Sounders FC to highlight our state’s contribution to improving lives worldwide,” said WGHA Executive Director Lisa Cohen. “While we all admire the team’s expertise on the field, the fact that they are making such a commitment for global health is truly remarkable.”
The team plans to visit the Allen School vaccination clinic in Kamba Ya Simba on Friday, Jan. 11, to interact with hundreds of children ages 10-14 and help vaccinate dogs for rabies. The region around the village recently has experienced a rabies outbreak, and widespread canine vaccination is required for prevention of transmission to children bitten by dogs, said Guy Palmer, director of the Allen School.
“The community is already sensitized to the public health importance of dog vaccination,” he said. “The visit by the Sounders will undoubtedly draw in even more children with their dogs and help achieve the immunization goals.”
See an earlier WSU News article about WSU’s rabies research here: https://archive.news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=27843
Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa. During the nine-day trip, the team will host soccer clinics and raise awareness for programs with Washington ties.
Fans will be able to track the delegation’s activities in Tanzania via a daily journal and regular features posted at http://www.soundersfc.com/news/sounders-tanzania-trip-2013.aspx.