The Veterinary Services Department in the Aowin Constituency, has marked World Rabies Month with an educational tour to five Basic Schools, Teacher Training College, two churches and a mosque.

The institutions are namely Enchicoe Demonstration Basic, Light Barers Basic, Commey Memorial Basic, Anna School Complex and Wisdom Preparatory School.

The rest are Enchi College of Education, Church of Christ, Revival Assemblies of God-Ghana, and Enchi central mosque.

Speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Selorm Debrah, Municipal Veterinary Officer, said the month of September has been designated as World Rabies Month, during which Ghana joins the global community in intensifying the awareness on the dangers of rabies and the need for preventive action.

The theme for this year’s celebration was: “Act Now: You, Me, and Our Community”.

He indicated that in 2023, Ghana signed onto the global agenda of achieving ‘Zero Human deaths from Dog-Mediated Rabies by 2030’.

This commitment underscored the urgent need to strengthen public education, responsible pet owner, vaccination, and community involvement as essential measures to eradicate rabies.

Mr. Debrah said sensitizing pupils and the public on rabies transmission, prevention, and the importance of timely vaccination of pets in their schools was an ideal platform for this initiative as educating young person’s helps strengthen community awareness and long –term preventive efforts.

He added that “records have shown that about 40 per cent of persons bitten by suspected rabid animals were children under 15 years”.

He said rabies is a viral zoonotic disease caused by neurotropic virus of the family Rhabdoviridae genus Lyssa, a sub-group virus that caused progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Clinically, rabies has two forms: Furious which was characterized by hyperactivity and hallucination and paralytic rabies leads to paralysis and comma, Mr. Debrah explained.

According to him, rabies affected all warm-blooded animals, and the disease was prevalent mostly in developing countries in Asia and Africa of which Ghana was no exception.

Mr. Debrah further revealed that rabies remained one of the most important zoonotic diseases that was mostly always fatal following the onset of clinical signs and symptoms.

He reminded the pupils that the bite from pets constituted the major mode of transmission, adding that there was the need to cooperate with the Veterinary Services Department for pets to be vaccinated.

He advised the learners to educate their parents and friends to vaccinate their dogs, cats, and monkeys at age three months and beyond regularly.

“Rabies elimination is feasible through vaccination of pets and prevention of animal bites. The public should not hesitate to report any animal bite to the nearest health facility for immediate medical attention and investigation, the officer added.

He again taught persons bitten by dogs and other animals to wash the affected area right away with soap under running water for 20 munities and apply sanitizer to reduce the viral load contained in the infested animal’s saliva from entering deep into the nerves after which the person would seek medical attention.

Mr. Thomas Adanse, Staff Secretary of Commey Memorial Basic School, noted that to prevent rabies, it was critical to avoid contact with wild animals particularly if they seem sick or aggressive.

He added that, “if you are bitten by an animal, it is important to seek medical attention right away. Remember, prevention is key

By understanding and following the protocols, we can protect ourselves and community from the debilitating effects of rabies.”

Reverend Anthony Kondo, the Pastor in-charge of Revival Assemblies of God-Ghana, Kokoado Branch, on his part, stated that: “Today’s education on rabies will promote prevention of the disease. We will also share the knowledge acquired with our family members to avoid expensive treatment if infected”.

He said they were privileged to have such an interactive lesson and would expect more education from the Veterinary Services Department.