Rabies kill 100 Ghanaians annually; Children suffer most- Dr.

Rabies
Wild Dog

Dr Richard Suu-ire, Chairman of Rabies In West Africa, Ghana (RIWA- GH) has revealed that 100 Ghanaians die annually of rabies with 80 per cent of the deaths being children.

Globally, more than 75,000 lives are lost to rabies every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said 99 per cent of the cases were as a result of exposure to infected domestic dogs adding that, it was transmitted by coming into contact with infected saliva through bites or scratches of an infected animal.

Dr Suu-ire told the Ghana News Agency at Kpone on the sidelines of the global commemoration of the World Rabies Day, and explained that the control of the deadly diseases in developing countries posed a lot of logistical challenges.

He called on pet owners, pet lovers, and all stakeholders to contribute to the elimination of rabies by 2030.

Mr Joseph Kofi Abu, Greater Accra Regional Veterinary Officer explained that the inadequate number of veterinary doctors was negatively affecting veterinary services in the country.

He explained that eliminating rabies infections by the year 2030 could be achieved when the various districts have veterinary doctors to render professional veterinary services to the residents.

According to him, the total number of veterinary doctors in the country was about 70 and called on the government to employ veterinary doctors to meet the daily demands for veterinary services in the various districts in the country.

Read Also: ‘MCE’ to suffer snake bite after affair with ‘snake girl’ – Man alerts

In other news: 2 Riders Fall To Death From Pokuase Interchange

A motor rider and his pillion rider died 24 hours apart when they fell off their unregistered motorbike from the third tier of the Pokuase Interchange last Saturday.

The rider died on the spot, while the pillion rider, who sustained injuries on the head and the body, was transported to the Ofarkor Community Hospital while he was still conscious.

The body of the rider was, however, left on the pavement for more than an hour before it was taken to the Police Hospital morgue upon the arrival of the Pokuase District Police on the scene in response to distress calls.

The Pokuase Interchange is a four level stack interchange, the biggest in West Africa.

Continue reading:

Source: GNA

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.