CASES OF RABIES INCREASE (MIRROR, PAGE 34, MAY 15, 2010)

From Joe Okyere, Cape Coast.

More than 55,000 people die of rabies annually and about 95 per cent of the human deaths occur in Asia and Africa.
Rabies is one of the most dangerous diseases caused by a virus which can be transmitted to humans from animals and occurs when an infected animal bites a victim.
Dr Anthony Annan-Prah, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast, who stated these said between 30 per cent and 60 per cent of dog bite victims were children under the age of 15.
Dr Annan-Prah was making a presentation at a public lecture on rabies as part of activities by the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA) to mark World Veterinary Day in Cape Coast.
Dr Annan-Prah said if wound cleansing and immunisation are done as soon as possible after contact with a suspected animal, rabies could be prevented in virtually 100 per cent of exposures and that the disease could be prevented by vaccinating pets by the fourth month.
Dr Annan-Prah advised people to report neighbours who do not vaccinate their pets and that countrywide mass vaccination of dogs and cats could also prevent the disease and called for the elimination of stray dogs, cats and monkeys.
The President of the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA), Dr Kwesi Bowi Darkwa, appealed to the government to reintroduce the free mass vaccination for pets to enhance the anti-rabies campaign.
He said the unprecedented flow of commodities and people give pathogens of all kinds the opportunity to spread and multiply around the world and that climate change enabled them to extend their range, notably through the vectors such as insects colonising new areas.
The Metropolitan Director of Health Services, Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey, said rabies was becoming a neglected disease due to lack of accurate data and public awareness.
Dr Nuertey said like all viral disease, rabies had no cure but early intervention was the best remedy.
Earlier in his welcoming address, a representative of the GVMA, Dr A.N.A. Ayitey, said 200 dogs and 109 cats were vaccinated in the Cape Coast Metropolis during an outreach programme as part of activities to mark the occasion.
Participants called on the government to give equal attention to rabies and HIV/AIDS.