Rabies kills boy at Prestea Nsuta

An eleven year-old boy from Prestea Nsuta in the Prestea Huni/Valley has died of rabies.

The deceased, Ibrahim Laminu, passed away at the Government hospital in Prestea on August 17 after he was bitten by a suspected rabies infected dog on July 23.

Dr Simon Gbene, Acting Western Regional Veterinary officer, who confirmed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the deceased died after 24 days.

He said the body was buried on the same day and the rabid dog had also been destroyed to prevent more deaths.

Dr Gbene said because the bodies of those who die of rabies are highly contaminated and the Veterinary Services Department do not have laboratories and Personal Protective Equipment to enable them conduct rabies test on both humans and animals, they use the patient’s history and clinical signs for both humans and animals to confirm rabies cases.

He appealed to the government and Ministry of Food and Agriculture to equip their laboratories with ultra modern equipment to assist the work of veterinary officers.