Responsible dog ownership and vaccination key to ending Rabies

Sep 29, 2020

In Uganda, 95% of rabies cases in humans are from dogs, reveals Dr Opira, a regulatory officer from the National Drugs Authority.

HEALTH

Rabies is a deadly neglected tropical disease which kills both humans and animals. It causes tens of thousands of deaths every year mainly in Asia and Africa, and 40% of people bitten by suspected rabid animals are children under 15 years of age, according to the World Health Organization.

The viral zoonotic disease affects the brain and makes dogs change behaviour and spread the disease by biting human beings. It affects the nervous system causing death.

In Uganda, 95% of rabies cases in humans are from dogs, reveals Dr Opira, a regulatory officer from the National Drugs Authority.

The Impact
In a household affected by rabies, people live in fear for a long time because the incubation period varies," says Dr Sylvia Baluka Angubua President Uganda Veterinary Association.

"It's one of the diseases with a very variable incubation period. The most common is 21-28 days after someone is bitten by a rabid dog. The person will start to show that nervous sign and when that happens we are sure death is coming 100%."

"However incubation in some people takes months, it can be three months, some take six, some even longer and because incubation is very confusing, the household lives in fear for a long time," she says.

Dr Angubua notes hours that should be used for production are lost when a child is bitten by a dog because the family is looking for solutions.

"Within all the movements, time is lost, people are not working or productive, and the impact is far reaching," she says.

Ending rabies
"It would be nice for the law to make it mandatory for dog owners to vaccinate them and other pets," says Dr Angubua.
The Rabies Act compels vaccination but enforcement is lacking.

"Many dogs people see loiter around are not strays, they have owners and go back to their owners."
"Responsible dog ownership is very important people need to know their duties towards their dogs, including feeding them and providing shelter.

Also, don't let dogs reproduce if you can't care for them," says Dr Angubua.

She says a dog can't plan for the number of puppies to have, it's the owner. "To control the dog population, let the dogs produce only what we need, then we can limit the population, and efficiently have the dogs vaccinated to end rabies," she adds.

According to Dr Angubua Rabies is killing more people but in Uganda, we have an excuse of witchcraft so it's not clear how many people get killed by rabies.

Goal
September 28, 2020, marked World Rabies Day. Following the global rabies conference in Geneva, a united against rabies collaboration was set up to end rabies by 2030. Vaccination has proven to be one of the most effective ways to control the disease, according to Dr Opira.

"If an animal is vaccinated, the body should generate immunity to protect it against the virus." But for effective control of rabies, 70% of dogs' population must be vaccinated in every area," he says.

Vaccination is an annual event, says Dr Anna Rose Ademun Commissioner Animal Health in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

The vaccine gives immunity for a year after that, the pet owner has to bring their dog or other pet animals back to the veterinary doctor for vaccination.

"The Ministry of Agriculture has produced vaccination certificates with records of when a dog is vaccinated and when they are due for another vaccination."

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