Public Urged to Join Fight Against Rabies

An appeal has been made to individuals, corporate bodies and organizations, to support and sponsor the fight to eradicate rabies in the country.

The government has also been urged to come to the aid of stake-holders, and help speed the fight against the disease, which though deadly, is easily preventable.

Whilst rabies is mainly transmitted through dog bites, the virus could be found in other animals and humans as well, which puts everyone at risk of contracting the disease.

Dr. Kwadwo Obeng-Wiredu, Deputy Director, Greater Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana Veterinary Service (GVS), in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to commemorate World Rabies Day, said it was unfortunate that the annual nation-wide free vaccination of dogs, which was a state-sponsored event, had stopped.

He said before that exercise came to an end in the late 1990s; it contributed greatly to rabies eradication in Ghana, because dogs which had not been vaccinated were seized and confined by state authorities, once they did not have the rabies vaccination identification tag.

Touching on rabies, he said whilst the disease could be 100 percent fatal, it was also 100 percent easily preventable.

Dr. Obeng-Wiredu said it was basically a must for all dog owners to vaccinate their puppies and dogs against rabies annually, adding that people, who kept other animals such as sheep and goat, also had to ensure that the animals were properly confined and prevented from getting bitten by dogs and other animals, which could be rabid.

“There are often stray dogs which do not have owners lurking around refuse sites and similar places, where roaming ruminants also go, which makes it very possible for pigs or goat to get infected and also infect people, especially their human owners”, he explained.

Dr. Obeng-Wiredu said there had been cases where ruminants suddenly showed strange symptoms, and were later diagnosed to have been infected with rabies.

He advised that when bitten by a dog, a person should thoroughly wash the bruised skin with soap and immediately report to a qualified veterinarian saying, “the nature of the bite may require immediate medical attention, but please make sure to contact us as soon as possible.”

Source: GNA