The ministry said the campaign is being carried out by the General Organization for Veterinary Services across several governorates, in line with the national rabies control strategy, public health protection efforts, and animal welfare principles.
According to a statement, the programme is implemented in cooperation with civil society organizations and coordinated with the Federation for Animal Welfare, focusing on vaccination and humane population management of stray dogs.
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk praised the role of civil society organizations in supporting the campaign, describing the cooperation as a successful model of partnership between the state and non-governmental actors in protecting public health, promoting animal welfare, and raising community awareness.
The intensified vaccination and neutering drives are conducted under approved scientific standards to ensure public safety and curb the spread of rabies, said Hamed El-Akhnas, head of the General Organization for Veterinary Services, describing rabies as one of the most dangerous zoonotic diseases posing a direct threat to human health.
He added that veterinary extension teams play a central role in the campaign by implementing organized awareness programmes to educate citizens about rabies risks, prevention methods, and safe, humane ways of dealing with stray dogs, helping to reduce dangerous contact and infection rates.
The ministry said the campaign forms part of Egypt’s broader “One Health” approach, which links human, animal, and environmental health, and called on citizens to cooperate with field veterinary teams and report suspected cases through the veterinary services hotline 19561.
Egypt has launched a nationwide programme to manage the stray dog population, officially estimated at 10–11 million, using a catch, neuter, vaccinate, and release (CNVR) approach, implemented in coordination with governorates across the country.
The programme includes allocating 12 plots of land to establish shelters away from densely populated areas. Its first phase covers Cairo, Giza, Beheira, and Gharbiya, selected due to high population density and public complaints, with other governorates expected to follow using local budgets.
Under the policy, stray dogs are captured, vaccinated, treated, and sterilized before being returned to their original areas to maintain ecological balance or placed in shelters. Aggressive or suspected rabid dogs are isolated.
Officials said the approach aligns with the World Health Organization’s global strategy to eliminate rabies by 2030, stressing that killing or poisoning dogs is prohibited and that adoption is encouraged.
Funding is provided through the state budget, alongside contributions from civil society and international partners, with shelters operated according to scientific standards by specialized veterinary teams in coordination with animal welfare organizations.
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