The Ghana Health Service is calling on the Veterinary Services directorate under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to intensify efforts to ensure dogs in the country are vaccinated to prevent rabies infections.
Speaking to Citi News, the Ashanti regional health director, Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang noted that deliberate efforts by veterinary officers and owners of dogs to get them vaccinated against the disease will help bring the situation under the control.
“For the last half year, we have detected close to eight cases of rabies in the communities, and it is telling you that the dogs are not vaccinated,” he said.
“The area that we need to focus on is the vaccination of dogs and that is in the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture,” Dr. Tinkorang added.
The health service has written to the veterinary services division in this regard.
The Ghana Health Service issued an alert over the outbreak of rabies in the Ashanti Region.
So far, four such cases plus one probable case have been confirmed by health facilities in the Region with all the infected dying.
These cases were reported from Asante Akim South, Bosomtwe and Kwabre East.
Annual global figures show that, about 60,000 die from rabies, especially in Africa and Asia.
Primarily spread through animal bites, the disease is virtually 100 percent fatal once symptoms present themselves.