Dr Emmanuel Allegye-Cudjoe, Chief Veterinary Officer, has encouraged the public to vaccinate their pets, especially dogs, annually to protect lives.
He charged the public to immediately report animal bites to veterinary facilities nearby for prompt treatment.
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe made the call at the launch of this year’s World Rabies Day on the theme “Breaking Rabies Boundaries” in Accra.
The theme focused on overcoming challenges to rabies elimination through education, community engagement, and vaccination programmes.
In Ghana, dog bites and rabies have been on the rise, especially in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
Statistics revealed that from 2009 to 2024, over 1,000 suspected cases were recorded, with 185 deaths.
He attributed the surge in cases and deaths to the growing population of stray dogs and unvaccinated dogs in the country.
These stray dogs, he stressed, relied on food from open waste and called for concerted efforts to address environmental challenges.
Rabies, though endemic in Ghana, is a vaccine-preventable disease and can be eliminated.
Countries like Cape Verde, Libya, Mauritius, and the Seychelles have successfully eradicated rabies through vaccination programmes, political commitment, and effective interventions.
Ghana is among many countries committed to the global goal of eradicating Rabies by 2030.
Dr Allegye-Cudjoe said in 2019, Ghana launched a National Action Plan to guide efforts toward the goal but received low scores in rabies awareness at a workshop in September 2022.
He said the government had intensified its awareness interventions for the public to acknowledge the importance of pet vaccination.
Dr Joseph Kofi Abah, Greater Accra Veterinary Director, called on the government for adequate budget funding to the animal sector to expand diagnostic centres across the country.
He called on stakeholders to facilitate the passing of the Animal Health Act 2020 to streamline the sector and make it more efficient.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects mammals, typically transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals.
This leads to fatal inflammation of the brain, nervous system disorders, and ultimately death.
Source: GNA
