Ghana intensifies rabies fight - Over 146,000 pets vaccinated this year
The Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) has intensified its rabies control efforts with the vaccination of more than 146,000 dogs and cats between January and September this year.
Between January and August, 140,599 dogs were vaccinated nationwide.
Another campaign, which began on September 5, has so far vaccinated 3,535 dogs and cats and is working towards a target of 10,000 by December this year.
The Ghana Private Veterinary Medical Association also supported the initiative by vaccinating 1,974 pets in selected communities within the Greater Accra Region, bringing the overall total to 146,108.
Beyond vaccination
Speaking at the commemoration of this year’s World Rabies Day, which took place in Accra last Thursday, the Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Emmanuel Allegye-Cudjoe, said beyond the vaccinations, district veterinary offices had also intensified dog bite surveillance across the country.
He explained that national veterinary laboratories had been upgraded to ensure the timely diagnostic confirmation of suspected rabies cases, which he described as vital for quick intervention.
The measures were aimed at improving public health safety and enhancing rapid response to rabies, which is regarded as one of the deadliest but also most preventable zoonotic diseases, Dr Allegye-Cudjoe stated.
“Every vaccinated pet is a safer child, a safer family, and a safer community.
That is why we must act now to protect everyone, especially children, who remain the most vulnerable,” he stressed.
This year’s commemoration, held on the theme: “Act Now: You, Me, Community”, focused more on public awareness and education.
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe said that this month, more than 105,000 primary schoolchildren across 365 schools were sensitised to rabies prevention measures, supported by over 5,100 trained teachers who will continue reinforcing the knowledge in their classrooms.
He noted that the strategy was to incorporate rabies education into everyday learning so that children, who often interacted with dogs, would grow up with the right knowledge about prevention.
Faith-based organisations also played a crucial role.
According to him, 99 churches and 22 mosques nationwide helped raise awareness, reaching 16,250 adults and 4,715 children.
He said this broad-based awareness drive was necessary because rabies prevention required a collective effort from pet owners, families, schools, traditional leaders and policymakers.
He stressed that parents, teachers, faith leaders and the media had a collective responsibility to reinforce preventive knowledge and encourage responsible pet ownership.
“Rabies is 100 per cent preventable, yet it still kills thousands of people every year across the world.
Ghana cannot afford to lose more lives, especially children, to this disease.
We must vaccinate, we must educate, and we must act now,” Dr Allegye-Cudjoe said.
Global target
Rabies remains a major public health concern globally, causing an estimated 59,000 human deaths annually, most of them in Africa and Asia.
The World Health Organisation and partners have set a global target of achieving zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
