Residents of Santo Domingo’s Ciudad Juan Bosch and surrounding neighborhoods are set to access a critical public health service this week, as the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health has scheduled a free rabies vaccination day for domestic dogs and cats this Friday, August 21. The event will be hosted at La Gaviota 1 Park, located in the heart of Ciudad Juan Bosch, and will operate from 8:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. to accommodate pet owners across different work and personal schedules.
Organized by the national Center for Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases and Zoonoses (Cecovez), the one-day vaccination drive carries two core public health goals: to expand overall rabies vaccination coverage among companion animals in the region, and to cut down on the risk of the deadly virus spreading from animals to human communities. Rabies remains a persistent global public health threat, with most human infections linked to bites from unvaccinated domestic animals, making widespread pet vaccination a foundational prevention strategy.
The clinical team managing the event will be drawn from the Zoonosis division of the Ministry’s Health Area 1 jurisdiction. All vaccinations will be provided completely free of charge to eligible pets, with event organizers prioritizing animals that have never received a rabies vaccine to maximize the public health impact of the initiative. Pet owners from both Ciudad Juan Bosch itself and adjacent communities are welcome to bring their companion animals to the site to receive the vaccine.
Local and national health authorities have issued a public call for area pet owners to take advantage of this free service, stressing that routine rabies vaccination is one of the most effective evidence-based tools available to prevent rabies outbreaks and safeguard broader community health. This vaccination day is not an isolated event, but rather part of a sustained national partnership between the Ministry of Public Health and the VBC-RD Trust. The collaboration focuses on long-term rabies control across the Dominican Republic, with an overarching goal of achieving complete elimination of the virus from the country in the coming years.