Commemoration of World Rabies Day: 26 Die from rabies this year
A total of 26 people died from rabies out of 31 cases reported from nine regions in the country since January 2024.
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The breakdown is as follows — Greater Accra, 11 cases; Western, six; North East, four; Eastern, three; Upper East, two; Ashanti, Upper West and Central regions one each.
Six deaths were recorded in Greater Accra; six, Western; two, Western North; three, Eastern; one, Ashanti; one, Upper West; two, Upper East; one Central, and North East, four.
The Chief Veterinary Officer at the Veterinary Department, Dr Emmanuel Allegye-Cudjoe, made this known when he launched this year’s World Rabies Day in Accra on Wednesday, on the theme: “Breaking rabies boundaries”.
The event is held on September 28 every year to reinforce awareness about rabies prevention and the fight against zoonotic diseases.
Rabies is a global public health problem. It is estimated to cause over 55,000 human deaths annually worldwide, with 56 per cent of the deaths occurring in Africa.
Situation
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe said in Ghana, dog bites and rabies cases had been on the rise, particularly in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
He said between 2009 and 2011, a total of 25 human deaths from rabies were recorded. This escalated to 57 deaths in 2016.
And between 2020 and 2023, there were 793 suspected cases of human rabies reported, resulting in 77 deaths, while in 2023, 331 suspected cases were recorded, with the Greater Accra Region recording 112 cases and the Western Region 102, accounting for 64.65 per cent of the cases across the country for that period.
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Dr Allegye-Cudjoe expressed concern that many cases still went unreported.
Unfortunately, he said rabies cases continued to emerge everyday, adding that although the disease was endemic in the country, it was vaccine-preventable which could be eliminated.
Advice
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe, therefore, called on pet owners to vaccinate their dogs and cats.
He said as part of the celebrations, a total of 1,033,000 doses of vaccines had been made available by donor partners and the government for a free vaccination exercise.
The officer attributed the number of cases being recorded in the country to the growing population of stray and unvaccinated dogs which “feast on the availability of indiscriminate waste found everywhere across the country”.
He called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to take environmental issues seriously so that the country would reach its target of eliminating rabies by 2030.
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe further gave the assurance that the 2030 target was achievable only if people practised responsible living by ensuring that as pet owners, they sent their dogs for vaccination.
People must also practise environmental hygiene by keeping their surroundings clean.
While bemoaning the lack of veterinary clinics in districts, he also called for the passage of the Animal Health Bill 2020, to implement regulations and framework to improve how animal and animal products were handled.