An encounter with a seven year old girl suffering from rabies planted the idea for A Rabies-Free World*, established to help eliminate the suffering caused by rabies around the world: Hoping For a Miracle
Co-Director, Stephen J. Scholand, MD., says:
I think the worst infectious disease on the planet is ‘rabies’ having seen people suffer and die from it. Rabies is one of those diseases that is almost unbelieveable. Reading about rabies in books is one thing, seeing a patient die right in front of you is something else completely.
Rabies can so easily be prevented, yet it remains a terrible problem for many in Asia and Africa particularly. It’s one of those ‘dark secrets’ that so many of us seem to know very little about. Otherwise, how could it continue?
After I saw my first case of human rabies, I was stunned. I realized something had to be done. I think it’s about time the ‘world’ did something. We’ve wiped out smallpox, we’re closing in on polio, rabies should be next.'
*A Rabies-Free World, Inc. is an NPO (registered charitable organization 501c(3))