Work Continues Within the Project "PROTECT" – Spread and Prevention of Rabies and Other Zoonoses
Work is progressing within the framework of the project titled "PROTECT – Spread and Prevention of Rabies and Other Zoonoses" (Project ID: HUSKROUA/23/RI/2.1/011).
The PROTECT project aims to strengthen the preparedness of public health systems for infectious diseases, including zoonoses, by improving surveillance, containment, and cross-border cooperation. This initiative is fully aligned with the programme's strategic objective of promoting regional cooperation in the fields of healthcare and biosafety.
The project is implemented within the framework of the Interreg VI-A NEXT Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine 2021–2027 Programme, in partnership with the Planetrise Cultural and Environmental Association.
A multinational partner team from four countries ensures the success of the project:
Lead Partner: Zakarpattia Regional State Laboratory (Ukraine)
Partner No. 1: Non-Governmental Organization "European Initiatives Center (Ukraine)
Partner No. 2: Planetrise Cultural and Environmental Association (Hungary)
Partner No. 3: Regional Innovation Agency (Slovakia)
Partner No. 5: Satu Mare Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate (Romania)
Partner No. 6: Satu Mare County Administrative Territorial Unit (Romania)
In recent weeks, we participated in partner conferences held in Ukraine, Slovakia, and Romania. The purpose of these meetings was to coordinate project tasks, meet with the specialists and experts involved by the partners, gain insight into the current landscape of the rabies situation in cross-border regions, and conduct laboratory visits.
Rabies and other zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted from animals to humans) know no borders, as neither wild nor stray animals are restricted by national frontiers.
Rabies can have a fatal outcome if treatment is not initiated in time; therefore, it is critically important to recognize the disease at the very first signs—whether in animals or humans.
In the next phase of our work, we will investigate the awareness of the general public and livestock farmers regarding rabies and other zoonoses through research conducted within the project. The development of the research methodology has already begun, and the survey phase will be launched shortly.
Further details regarding the project can be found on the partners' official social media platforms.
Planetrise Cultural and Environmental Association