Senya Bereku (C/R), Feb. 21, GNA - Dog Breeders for consumption at Senya Bereku and surrounding villages have refused to vaccinate the animals against rabies because they claim the meat of vaccinated dogs is "tasteless".
The situation according to health authorities has resulted in the increase of rabies cases in the area.
The Medical Assistant of the Senya Bereku Health Centre, Mr Richard Acquah, who disclosed this in an interview on Friday, said in 2002, two people died of rabies in the town, adding that, three people were currently under treatment.
He expressed regret in spite of a series of education by health personnel for the dog breeders they were still refusing to vaccinate their animals and appealed to the people to change their attitude to avoid an outbreak of the disease
Mr Acquah said if they refused to vaccinate their dogs, the government would be forced to destroy the animals.
Mr Onaesis Anderson, Chairman of Senya Bereku Area Council, confirmed the medical assistant's story but pointed out that not all the people in the area ate the meat.
He said, however, that education programmes had been organised on the need to vaccinate pets especially dogs to avoid contracting rabies. In a related development the Effutu-Awutu-Senya District Director of Health Services, Dr Nii Adjei Adjetey, has said that the Global Fund, an international donor organization had released 100 million cedis for the control of malaria in the area.
Senya Bereku (C/R), Feb. 21, GNA - Dog Breeders for consumption at Senya Bereku and surrounding villages have refused to vaccinate the animals against rabies because they claim the meat of vaccinated dogs is "tasteless".
The situation according to health authorities has resulted in the increase of rabies cases in the area.
The Medical Assistant of the Senya Bereku Health Centre, Mr Richard Acquah, who disclosed this in an interview on Friday, said in 2002, two people died of rabies in the town, adding that, three people were currently under treatment.
He expressed regret in spite of a series of education by health personnel for the dog breeders they were still refusing to vaccinate their animals and appealed to the people to change their attitude to avoid an outbreak of the disease
Mr Acquah said if they refused to vaccinate their dogs, the government would be forced to destroy the animals.
Mr Onaesis Anderson, Chairman of Senya Bereku Area Council, confirmed the medical assistant's story but pointed out that not all the people in the area ate the meat.
He said, however, that education programmes had been organised on the need to vaccinate pets especially dogs to avoid contracting rabies. In a related development the Effutu-Awutu-Senya District Director of Health Services, Dr Nii Adjei Adjetey, has said that the Global Fund, an international donor organization had released 100 million cedis for the control of malaria in the area.
