The Tema Region has witnessed a spike in cases of rabies among animals and dog bites in the past year.
This, according to the Tema Metro Veterinary Office, has been compounded by the unavailability and high cost of human vaccines used to treat cases of rabies in the Tema region.
This was revealed by the Metro Director of the Tema Metro Office of the Ghana Veterinary Service at a programme to mark this year’s world Veterinary week.
According to statistics, some 40 cases of rabies were recorded in dogs and goats within the last two years, with several persons also contracting the virus as a result of dog bites.
In view of this growing trend, the Tema Metro Office of the Veterinary Service has stepped up its public campaign with a workshop for its officers and members of the public to create awareness for the need to help curb the situation.
The public forum, which was held at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) was under the theme. “One Health, One Zero”.
The Deputy Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Veterinary Service, Dr. Joseph Kofi Abuh who was the guest speaker, charged the various MMDCEs to support the service to realise its goal of reducing rabies cases drastically across the capital.
He said, a collaborative effort between the MMDCES and the Ghana Veterinary Service, as well as other relevant stakeholders, will not only yield positive results, but will also ensure the outright eradication of rabies.
The Tema Metro Officer of the Ghana Veterinary Service, Dr. Emmanuel Pecku who bemoaned the alarming rate of rabies cases amid the high cost and unavailability of human vaccines to treat rabies, stressed the need for owners of dogs and other animals to ensure a safe environment for all by frequenting the veterinary clinics when they detect any health-related issues with their animals.
This year’s World Veterinary Day, was also used to sensitise the public on the symptoms of rabies.
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