Ghana joined the rest of the world to mark World rabies day on 28th September, 2021 in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly. There were calls on authorities to raise awareness about rabies and bring together partners to enhance prevention and control efforts. The day was marked with free dog vaccination within the municipality. The celebration was on the theme, “Rabies, Facts not Fear”
Free dog vaccination exercise
World rabies day is an opportunity to reflect on how rabies impart our communities and other communities around the world. Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from one specie to another, such as from dogs to farm animals, commonly by a bite from an infected animal.
The Municipal Coordinating Director of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly, Mr Michael Owusu-Amoako in his welcome remarks said the final waste disposal site in the municipality has immensely contributed to the high numbers of stray dogs and the consequent rate of the spread of rabies in the municipality. He appealed to resident to vaccinate their dogs and other pets against rabies.
The MCD, Mr Michael Owusu-Amoako and other dignitaries at the program
The Head of the Epidemiology of the Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr Fenteng Danso, disclosed that 27 rabies cases had been recorded this year, with 10 of the cases recorded in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality. Dr Danso expressed worry at the trend and called for attention to forestall a major public health issue. He added that although many advances had been made, rabies remain a neglected, under-reported, untreatable and yet preventable disease. Dr Danso said the elimination of rabies in Ghana can be achieved through mass dog vaccination campaigns, intensive dog population management, promotion of responsible dog ownership, quarantine, destruction of unvaccinated dogs, as well as prosecution of owners of unvaccinated dogs.
Dr. Danso delivering his speech
Dr Richard Suu-ire, the President of Rabies in West Africa (RIWA), a voluntary organisation raising awareness of the control of rabies in Ghana, revealed that rabies claimed 75,000human lives worldwide every year, while about 200 people died annually in Ghana, 80 per cent of them being children, although the disease is vaccine-preventable.
Dr Richard Suu-ire giving his remarks
The Kpone- Katamanso Municipal Director of Health, Dr Esther Priscilla Biamah Danquah publicised that the directorate had recorded an increasing trend in dog bite cases, with 271 incidents recorded in 2018, 289 in 2019, 243 in 2020 and 135 cases as of August this year. She said the municipality records at least one death from rabies every year, with one already recorded in June this year. She said a major challenge facing the health directorate is the difficulty in getting vaccines as prophylaxis for victims of dog bites to prevent the dire consequences.
As part of the celebration, there was a drama and a match through the streets of Kpone by the Kpone SHS pupils to raise awareness about the disease in the community.
Students of Kpone SHS with placards
Credit: Information Services Department