The Guatemalan Ministry of Health launched a campaign on Mar. 20 to vaccinate 1.6 million dogs and 30,000 cats in rural areas to prevent rabies in the wake of a prolonged drought. The aim is “to create the necessary defenses against the rabies virus in susceptible animals and to prevent it from being transmitted to humans,” ministry spokeswoman Raquel León told Tierramérica.

“This summer has seen a severe drought, which triggers outbreaks of rabies amongst wild animals, which come down to the rivers to drink, a situation in which domestic animals, like dogs, can become infected,” she explained.

The ministry had no reports of any person dying from rabies in 2003. Dogs and cats in the Guatemalan capital and other cities are slated to be vaccinated in September.