On 10 November 2020, the North African Regional Meeting on the Strategy to Fight on Rabies, organized by the OIE Subregional Office in Tunis, in collaboration with FAO and the European Union, in the framework of the Mediterranean Network for Animal Health (REMESA), was held online. The different aspects related to rabies management in North African countries were discussed, with particular reference to the activities and initiatives implemented to achieve the ambitious goal, set by OIE, FAO and WHO, to have zero rabies-related deaths by 2030. Dr Michele Podaliri Vulpiani participated for IZSAM as OIE Multinational Collaborating Centre for Animal Welfare, also representing the network ERFAN (Enhancing Research for Africa Network). He presented his work on “Management of stray dogs concerning animal welfare and relations with the OIE Twinning on animal welfare between Italy and Tunisia”. The presentation highlighted the importance of canine population management, respecting animal welfare, to effectively prevent rabies. Moreover, the meeting was an opportunity to introduce the new Twinning OIE on animal welfare between IZSAM and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Tunis (ENMV). The twinning has the final objective to create conditions for ENMV to acquire the role of OIE Collaborating Centre for Animal Welfare in North Africa.
