Malawians urged to vaccinate their dogs and pets.
Mission Rabies, a project of Worldwide veterinary Services (WVS), has urged people in the country to develop a culture of vaccinating their dogs and pets so as to reduce cases of rabies in the country.
Country director for the project in the country, Inga McDermott said this in an interview on the sidelines of the Blantyre city mass dog rabies campaign which is underway in Blantyre.
According to her, it estimated that roughly 500 people lose their lives each year from rabies in the country, hence, the need for dog vaccination.
McDermott also said that estimation indicates that over 99 percent of these deaths will have been the result from rabies.
” Only if at least 70 percent of all dogs are vaccinated, herds immunity can be achieved and the disease can be eliminated in the city,” she explained.
Mc Dermott added that to prevent human rabies deaths in the city, the disease needs to be eliminated by targeting the most important source of transmission -dogs.
She says the tenth annual systematic dog vaccinations campaign would be carried out for only five weekends and is aimed to stop the spread of the deadly disease in Blantyre city and shield it’s citizens from possible exposure.
She further said the project is set to vaccinate between 25,000 and 35,000 dogs during this year’s dog rabies vaccination campaign which was launched last Saturday in Blantyre.
McDermott said the project this year will conduct vaccination campaigns in 11 districts such as Blantyre, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa Nsanje, Mwanza, Neno, Balaka, Phalombe, Mulanje and Thyolo.
” We will also be offering community outreach neutering campaigns to provide free neuter/ sterilisation surgeries which prevent further breeding,” she said
According to various studies, Rabies is 100 percent fatal once symptoms develop, making it a persistent public health concern.
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