Hannah’s Malawi diary: On the front line of the fight against rabies
Vets and veterinary nurses from VetPartners practices across the UK and Europe volunteered their time, skills and expertise this summer to support a major rabies vaccination programme in Malawi.
Organised by Mission Rabies in partnership with sister charity Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), and supported by vaccine donations from MSD Animal Health, the week-long campaign saw thousands of animals vaccinated, helping to protect both animal and human health in local communities.
Our Group Head of ESG, Hannah James, was part of the team. Here, she shares her diary from Malawi, offering a fascinating insight into the experience, the communities she met and the vital work being done to help eliminate rabies.
Day 1
I met some of my VetPartners colleagues at Heathrow, and more at our stopover in Addis Ababa. None of us had met before despite working for the same company, so we were keen to get to know each other and compare notes on how much luggage we’d brought! At Blantyre airport we were greeted by the rest of our group and the Mission Rabies team, easily identifiable in their bright yellow t-shirts.
The drive to our accommodation was our first proper look at Malawi: brick, wood and corrugated iron buildings covered in colourful hand-painted signs, and busy streets full of people on motorbikes, bicycles and on foot, many expertly balancing large loads on their heads.
Our project briefing began with rabies itself: how the disease spreads, how to recognise an infected dog, and the impact it has on people and animals in affected regions. We also heard how Mission Rabies is tackling rabies in hotspots all over the world.
At dinner we were introduced to the Malawian staple food nsima: boiled maize flour with the consistency of mashed potato but a taste closer to white rice, served with ndiwo: a variety of tasty vegetable dishes in different sauces.
Day 2
Time for the adventure to really begin! We divided into teams for the journey to Lake Malawi, each named after native Malawian wildlife. Every team of three had a Mission Rabies team lead who spoke the local language, Chichewa, at least one qualified vaccinator, and someone to navigate and collect data.
The journey was 160 miles and took around seven hours. The roads are rough and sometimes unpaved, and driving through towns is slow as you navigate around market stalls, people and goats.
Cape Maclear, our home for the next four days, was very different to Blantyre: a town of 15-20,000 people bordered by hills on one side and beautiful Lake Malawi on the other. Our guest house was simple but welcoming, with a lawn leading straight onto the lakeshore. Lake Malawi is the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world and looks more like the sea; after a long hot drive most of us jumped straight in, then watched the first of a series of incredible sunsets.
After dinner the second half of our briefing covered Mission Rabies’ data collection app, which shows each team its allocated area and geolocates every animal vaccinated. This lets them know what proportion of the dog population has been reached, and which areas still need covering.
Day 3
We were all eager to get out into the field and start putting our new knowledge and skills to use.
Days started early: many teams had a drive to reach their vaccination area, and we needed to cover as much ground as possible and be back before sundown. Approaching yards and houses felt awkward at first, but people were incredibly friendly, and everyone we asked was keen for us to vaccinate their dogs, and often to have a chat. Mission Rabies also runs educational activities in schools and communities on dog safety and rabies awareness, and sends teams ahead of vaccination drives to let people that the vaccinators will be visiting.
The children gave us a welcome on another level entirely. Everywhere we went we accumulated a large and noisy entourage wanting to see every detail of what we were doing, hold our hands, or have a go on the megaphone. We discovered that older children were often excellent guides: leading us around the village and showing us where the dogs could be found.
Days 4 – 6
By the second day, my team had settled into a rhythm, swapping roles to cover ground quickly and vaccinate as many dogs as possible, while still finding moments to chat with people and enjoy some puppy cuddles.
Evenings were spent swimming in the lake and watching the sunsets. The early starts and long days of walking meant most of us turned in early, helped by the darkness that fell remarkably rapidly this close to the equator.
Working at this scale, some of us were inevitably bitten or scratched despite the training - including me. Mission Rabies had prepared us thoroughly: as soon as I was scratched we returned to the truck to wash the wound for a full 15 minutes and apply iodine. I’d been surprised to learn that this action alone can be a lifesaver, reducing the risk of the virus entering your bloodstream.
Any scratch or bite, however small, is treated as a potential exposure to rabies, and the team carry their own supply of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) on vaccination drives. As we’d all had pre-exposure vaccines before travelling, we needed two injections three days apart: no worse than a flu jab.
The experience made me reflect on how privileged we were to have ready access to medical care. Mission Rabies operate a rabies ‘hotline’ and trace contacts when they hear of an infected dog, but not everyone in Malawi can access PEP; and immunoglobulin, recommended for anyone without a pre-exposure vaccine, isn’t available in the country at all.
Day 7
After four days we had vaccinated 2,351 animals: later confirmed as over 90% of the region’s dog population. An incredible result.
We said an emotional farewell to some of the Mission Rabies team and settled in for another seven-hour drive south to Majete Wildlife Park. Excitement levels rose as we approached and were treated to views of incredible scenery as we dropped into the river valley.
Our accommodation was a mix of cabins and large tents with huge windows on all sides for wildlife spotting. We had dinner on the open veranda overlooking a watering hole, straining our eyes and ears for signs of wildlife, then turned in early.
Day 8
At 5.30am we headed out for the first ‘game drive’ of the day.
Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and eagle-eyed, pointing out tracks, scat and the animals themselves. Over the course of day we saw elephants, zebras, warthogs, hyenas, hippos, giraffes, baboons and a huge variety of birds and insects: heaven for a wildlife enthusiast.
We also learned how the reserve is managed. Once virtually devoid of wildlife because of poaching and other human pressures, it’s been transformed by African Parks since 2003 back into a thriving habitat. Mission Rabies works in partnership with them on conservation and wildlife monitoring, and runs a veterinary field clinic from the site.
To see some of that work, we went out on foot with rangers to track a recently released rehabilitated pangolin. Rough ground and dense undergrowth made for tough going in the heat, but we were rewarded with the sight the burrow and confirmation the pangolin was inside. Not seeing it was slightly disappointing, but the rangers explained this was the best outcome: the nocturnal animal was thriving and had eaten enough overnight to rest during the day.
Our last night was marked with a sunset drive, ending by the river where we could hear hippos grunting and see stars made incredibly bright by the lack of light pollution.
Day 9
Our final day was a series of sad farewells, though swapping contact details and looking through everyone’s photos tempered some the sadness on the journey home.
Reflecting on the trip, I’m immensely grateful to have taken part in a project that directly protects human and animal lives. I already knew the veterinary profession has a vital role in public health as well as animal welfare, but seeing it up close really brought it home. It was also a pleasure to meet VetPartners colleagues from other countries and to spend time with people working in practice: taking away new insights and perspectives that will help in my role in Central Support.
It’s also renewed my enthusiasm for the work my team and I do supporting colleagues with grants for overseas volunteering. I’ll be recommending a trip with Mission Rabies to everyone.
If volunteering overseas is your dream, why not apply for funding? Vets and RVNs who have worked for VetPartners for at least 12 months can apply for a grant to volunteer overseas.
Applications are no open all year round.
Full details of the scheme and how to apply can be found here:
Ireland (NI and ROI): https://www.myvetpartners.ie/terms-and-conditions
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