Prof. Anthony R. Fooks
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), United Kingdom – Rabies Hero June 2021
Professor Anthony R. Fooks has been named a Rabies Hero in recognition of his achievements as a passionate fighter for freedom from rabies, both internationally and in his home country UK. He has a long history of engagement in rabies control and played a vital role in strengthening the global response through his work with the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) building strategic alliances focusing on combating the disease in parts of the world where rabies still remains a daily threat for dogs and people.
Prof. Fooks has been involved in designing international outreach strategies for rabies and played an instrumental role in setting up rabies reference laboratories in China and India. He continues to actively engage in projects in Africa and Asia to help countries undertake rabies elimination in dogs, as part of a One Health program to improve preparedness and response to zoonotic emergencies.
He is a recognized expert in rabies and rabies-related viruses, well known for his scientific research focused on ‘One Health’. He has made a difference in a wide range of areas, including disease detection, surveillance, rabies epidemiology in Africa and developing rabies vaccines. He had advocated for a strategic shift towards vaccination of dogs to reduce the burden of the disease in humans. He also participated in efforts to improve access to safe and affordable rabies post-exposure treatment in developing countries.
On the international arena, Prof. Fooks has been pivotal in driving forward initiatives and networks for global rabies elimination, such as The Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and The Partners for Rabies Prevention (PRP). He believes that the world must drive immediate attention to this neglected disease and as such was one of initiators of the World Rabies Day (WRD), an annual global observance on 28th September to attract support and increase awareness of rabies worldwide. He also actively engaged in WRD awareness activities through running, climbing, and fundraising.
Receiving the awards Prof. Fooks said: “As Director of an International Reference Laboratory for rabies, the elimination of rabies in resource-limited regions of the world continues to be a global commitment and remains a priority of the Millennium Development Goals in reducing poverty and preventable childhood deaths from infectious diseases”.
Click here to see pictures from some of the many projects he was involved in.
