Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) says seven (7) people have died of rabies so far this year.
DVS also said an average of 455 dog bites are being reported each week and only 21 per cent of these dog bites are from vaccinated dogs.
13 600 people have been bitten by dogs this year, the major route of transmission of rabies to humans.
DVS chief director Dr Josphat Nyika told The Herald that they have acquired 90 000 doses of vaccines to vaccinate dogs. He said:
To date, we lost seven people. All dog owners should vaccinate their dogs since the majority are a potential danger to humans.
No one should die from dog-mediated rabies. We want to record zero deaths by 2030 from dog-mediated rabies.
In terms of the rabies vaccine, we acquired 90 000 doses from World Health Organisation (WHO) for the rabies vaccine and for the past three weeks we were on the ground vaccinating dogs in Harare.
We urge people in major cities, towns and rural areas to ensure that all dogs are vaccinated. Routine vaccinations are done to prevent outbreaks in dogs and cats.
In case of outbreaks in other domesticated animals, we do immediate rabies vaccinations of all animals in contact with the rabid animal.
Rabies kills and the only treatment for humans is vaccination, which is 100 per cent effective, soon after a dog bite or other source of infection before symptoms develop.
Stray dogs, unvaccinated dogs and wild animals such as hyenas are seen as the main risks.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
