Expert Cautions Against Rabies

A call has been made to owners of dogs and people living in areas populated by dogs to ensure that such canine animals get vaccinated against the spread of rabies.

This call was made by Doctor Silva Imal of the Department of Family Medicine of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in a chat with this medium.

Dr. Imal revealed that the statistics of people dying from rabies infections was alarmingly increasing and there was need to expedite action to curtail the menace.

“Globally, people dying from rabies infection are as high as 59,000 annually and this is really a dangerous signal.

“To the man on the street, this number may seem insignificant but statistically, the red line has been crossed and it is getting to an epidemic point of view and the earlier we do something the better”.

As a way of getting out of it, Imal advised that dog owners should take their animals to a veterinary of government animal facility for injections and also areas where there is a high concentrations of dogs should be visited by government veterinary inspectors.

“The people should be discouraged from eating dog meat as much as possible. The possibility of contracting rabies infection from a rabid dog is high when dog meat is consumed.

“This may be a radical step because it means that government officials would have to visit all the pepper soup joints to ascertain the type of meat that is served to their customers since dog meat is very cheap and affordable. It is usually served in excess and also due to the many superstitious beliefs attached to the consumption of dog meat; it is usually high on the menu.

“Some people believe that consumption of dog meat cures fever.

“It is discovered that most dogs that are sold for consumption are either sick or dying or have started to manifest signs of rabies before they are sold to be killed for their meat.

“Globally, the Non-Governmental Organization saddled with the responsibility of advocating for awareness about rabies is the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) which was established in 2007 and it aims to eradicate deaths through rabies by the year 2030”.

In a matter of dog bite, Dr. Imal advised that the victim should be taken to a health facility where Prophylaxis would be administered.