As we look forward to a new year, it is fitting that we consider what we might do differently to advance the control of emerging and transboundary diseases. Technology continues to develop apace and as mobile phones are used more widely around the world they have become an indispensable weapon in the veterinarian’s armoury. Apps are now being developed to help less experienced animal health professionals with disease diagnosis, as described recently by Beyene et al (2017). However, sometimes we already have the tools we need, and it’s more about how we use them. We already have effective rabies vaccines, so let’s assess whether the strategy being used is the right one. As the paper by Wera et al (2017) shows, the right disease prevention strategy may need a bit of extra investment but it will be money well spent. We don’t have to tolerate these diseases, so let’s make 2018 a year when prevention is our focus.
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