Aiko hosts rabies vaccination exercise at Akpafu Odomi

THE first runner-up at the 2022 Ghana's Most Beautiful (GMB), Queen Aiko Adade, has held a rabies education campaign and vaccination exercise in Akpafu Odomi in the Oti Region recently.

The event which was in commemoration of World Health Day 2023 comes a week after she held a similar exercise at the Jasikan Municipality.

The exercise was aimed at promoting public awareness about the dangers of rabies and promoting responsible pet ownership in the community.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects both animals and humans, with 99 percent of infections transmitted through the saliva of infected dogs.

Once symptoms appear, it gets fatal—80 percent of these deaths are reported in rural areas, and 40 percent are reported in children under the age of 15.

Aiko Adade, who is also a Level 400 Veterinary Medicine student, organised the campaign with support from local veterinary and health workers, volunteers and animal welfare organisations.

The event provided thorough and extensive rabies education on the risks associated with unvaccinated dogs and the importance of responsible pet ownership for some 3,220 seated audience, constituting 1,531 children, 738 men, and 951 women.

In all, 73 dogs and nine cats were vaccinated, covering over 70 percent of the Akpafu Odomi community’s dog population.

The Akpafu Odomi community members showed great interest in the campaign, pledging to vaccinate their pets regularly and support animal welfare initiatives in the area.

 Speaking on Sekpele 104.3 FM after the event, Queen Aiko Adade, who had been crowned as Bonyi  Katɔise Ɔkpãrogo Iwola I (Development Ambassador and Queen of Wisdom), reiterated her passion to save lives through Project Eleutheros.

 “Even before Ghana’s Most Beautiful, I became very concerned about rabies after witnessing the death of a young girl in my neighbourhood,” she said.

She noted that she aims to expand her initiative across Ghana, starting in rural areas where people are most vulnerable.

“I am most passionate about children because in the case that I witnessed, the child got bitten by a rabid animal and did not inform her parents. We only got to know when she started exhibiting the excruciating symptoms and later died,” she stated.

Aiko also called for sponsorship to sustain the project. “I can do this every weekend with my team in different locations if we obtain the necessary funding and sponsorships.

“Take, for instance, the transportation cost of my team and logistics from Accra to these rural areas alone. If we also had dedicated liaisons between the team and pet owners in various locations, it will make our 70 percent target more achievable,” she stated.