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The Ashanti Regional Director of the Veterinary Service, Dr. Mabel Bum has urged pet owners to vaccinate their pets especially dogs and cats to avoid the spread of rabies in the country.
According to her, the Ashanti Region is on top in cases of rabies and it is very necessary to create much awareness for pets to be vaccinated to avoid the rabies virus.
Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.
The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, although any mammal can get rabies.
Dr. Mabel Bum was speaking at Regional Risk Communication and Social Mobilizations Subcommittee meeting held on Monday, 20th March 2023, in the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to access the rabies situation and response in the Ashanti.
According to her, so far 74 cases had been reported with 38 tested while human involvement is 77 from 2018 to 2022 but 5 cases has been reported in this year 2023 with one tested positive in the Ashanti Region.
Dr. Mabel Bum outlined that most of the cases comes from the rural areas, and their failure to pay for their dogs to be vaccinated increases the vulnerability rate of the animals becoming a threat to society.
She has however admonished pet owners to do the needful to avoid risking lives in the society.
Nana Yaw Owusu/Ashanti Region.
