Nova Ukraine Supporters Send 1,000 Vials of Rabies Medicine to Ukraine

Animal bites have risen sharply in Ukraine during the war. Nova Ukraine supporters are helping hospitals keep medicine for the most dangerous bites in stock.

When a Rabid Cat Attacked a Baby in Kharkiv Region

A doctor at a hospital in Kharkiv region told the World Health Organization about a baby attacked by a rabid cat while lying in a pram. The parents got the baby to the hospital quickly, the staff had the treatment on hand, and the child avoided serious harm.

This fall, Nova Ukraine supporters added to the supply that made that possible: 1,000 vials of anti-rabies immunoglobulin, worth nearly UAH 1.8 million (about $40,000). The vials have arrived in Ukraine, and Ukraine’s Public Health Center is distributing them to hospitals based on each region’s requests.

Why Animal Bites Are Rising in Ukraine

When families evacuated, many had to leave their dogs and cats behind. Foxes and other wild animals have moved away from the fighting and into villages and towns. Vaccination of pets and wildlife, which had reduced rabies before 2022, was interrupted.

Since then, animal rabies cases have more than doubled. Last year, Ukrainians went to a doctor about an animal bite more than 75,000 times. The same Kharkiv-region hospital sees five to ten bite patients a day, and sometimes a whole family comes in together.

Once symptoms start, rabies is almost always fatal. Treatment given soon after the bite prevents it.

Why It Matters Beyond Ukraine

Stray animals and foxes cross borders, and so have millions of refugees, many traveling with their pets. In 2023, European veterinary leaders warned of a possible rabies outbreak in Europe tied to the war.

In Ivano-Frankivsk region, near the EU border and far from the fighting, animal rabies cases doubled in 2024 compared with the years before the invasion. Ukrainian researchers say neighboring Poland, which has kept rabies largely under control, could lose some of that progress.

Each case stopped in Ukraine also protects its neighbors.

What These Vials Do

After a serious bite, especially on the face, neck, or hands, the rabies vaccine takes about a week to build protection. Doctors inject immunoglobulin into and around the wound to hold off the virus during that week. They use it only for the most dangerous bites, and earlier this year Ukrainian health officials described supplies as tense.

Depending on whether patients are children or adults, 1,000 vials can treat several hundred people. A young child usually needs one vial; an adult needs about three.

Ukrainian Experts Decide Where It Goes

The Public Health Center tracks rabies medicine nationwide and decides where each shipment goes. Ukrainian doctors treat the patients. Nova Ukraine’s part, funded by its donors, helps keep the supply steady.

Ukraine is also changing how rabies care works. A national standard adopted in May lets anyone who is bitten get treatment at a designated facility, wherever they are registered. A reliable supply of immunoglobulin helps hospitals meet that standard while it rolls out.

Thank You

People will keep coming into Ukrainian hospitals with animal bites this winter. Because of Nova Ukraine supporters, more of those hospitals will have the medicine to treat them. Thank you.

If you are in Ukraine and bitten by an animal: wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes, get medical care right away, and call the Ministry of Health at 0 800 505 201 to find a rabies clinic.

FAQ: Rabies in Ukraine