Brushstrokes Against Rabies: how children, art, and community action are transforming animal health in rural Zambia

Abstract

Rabies is one of the oldest and most feared zoonotic diseases, yet it remains entirely preventable. In Zambia, as in many low-resource settings, dog-mediated rabies persists despite decades of vaccination campaigns. Beneath this persistence lies a deeper story about how communities engage with health information, how trust is built, and how behavioural change unfolds. This public lecture explores that story through an unconventional lens: children’s art. 

In 2025, Dr Mumba and his team implemented a “Paint and Sip” rabies-awareness intervention in Nalolo District, a remote rural area of Western Zambia. Instead of beginning with technical messages, we began with creativity. Two hundred schoolchildren aged 8–14 were invited to use drawing, colour, and storytelling to express what they understood about dogs, disease, safety, and their everyday lives. These artworks revealed local beliefs, fears, humour, and hopes that conventional public health approaches rarely capture. 

The children then became health messengers, sharing what they learned about rabies prevention, vaccination, and safe responses to dog bites with their families. Within weeks, their artwork had travelled across households, igniting dialogue and motivating community members. A free vaccination campaign followed, resulting in 2,000 dogs vaccinated using supplies donated by veterinary professionals through social networks. Through this collaboration, a rural community demonstrated how empathy, creativity, and grassroots action can achieve what technical messaging alone often cannot. 

This lecture invites the audience to consider the wider implications: How can art reshape public health communication? What does it reveal about community knowledge, agency, and resilience? And what might it teach us about designing humane, culturally resonant, and scalable health interventions in a complex world? 

This lecture is free and open to all. Registration is not required to attend in person.

More information about Dr Chisoni Mumba