Rabies cases soar in A/R; authorities call for emergency vaccination

Veterinary officers have called for an emergency pet vaccination in the Ashanti Region following the death of four children this year from rabies at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

The children were aged between five and six years.

Director of the Veterinary Services in the region, Dr Kofi Quansah-Forson, warns more people are likely to die from the disease because the last mass vaccination in the region happened a decade ago.

Dr Quansah-Forson told Luv FM's Erastus Asare Donkor that last year 12 people also died of rabies infections in the region.

"We believe these people would not have lost their lives if government and stakeholders had supported or found money for us [veterinary service] to undertake a coordinated rabies vaccination throughout the region", he told Erastus.

Bad attitude to pet vaccination

Vaccination of pets is voluntary hence only a few people undertake regular tests or vaccinate their pets regularly.

Dr Quansah-Forson says the bad attitude to pet vaccination by pet owners holds a "hidden danger" that needs immediate action.

Last year, veterinary clinics recorded only 476 cases of dog bites with 14 of the pets involved testing positive for rabies, Dr Quansah-Forson revealed.

He said the upsurge of reported cases of dog bites at their offices is alarming.

"Between January to August this year, 210 people are on record to have been bitten by dogs in the region", he revealed.

He observed that Ghana's efforts at controlling child mortality and control of emerging diseases are being threatened by the increasing deaths from rabies.

"A death from rabies which is a preventable disease is unpardonable", he stressed.

He recommended a mass vaccination campaign to end the trend.

Rabies is transmitted from animals to humans and it is caused by a virus. It is known to be present in more than 150 countries and territories of all continents except Antarctica.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 60,000 people, mostly in Asia and Africa, die of rabies every year.

Rabies virus infects domestic and wild animals and is spread to people through close contact with infected animals’ saliva via bites or scratches. The main route of rabies transmission to humans is the bite of rabid dogs.