The Nakuru County Government has begun a mass vaccination of dogs, following a rabies outbreak in Kuresoi South Sub-county.
On Friday evening, the county Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services confirmed an outbreak of rabies at Tachasis village in Kiptagich ward, Kuresoi South.
“We would like to caution members of the public to be vigilant and report any cases of the disease and any stray dog bites immediately for action,” reads a statement by Leonard Bor, the county executive for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
Nation.Africa established that more than four cases of rabies have been reported in Tachasis and neighbouring areas.
“About four people – three men a woman – have been treated after they were bitten by stray rabid dogs. We are now worried about the outbreak of the disease,” revealed Julius Kemboi, a resident of Tachasis village.
Dogs vaccinated against rabies in Mombasa. The Nakuru County Government has begun a mass vaccination of dogs, following a rabies outbreak in Kuresoi South Sub-county.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“I urge all residents of Nakuru to ensure that all meat offered for consumption is slaughtered in the approved slaughter houses ,duly inspected, stamped and transported in strict compliance with the ministry's regulations,” said Mr Bor.
Rabies is caused by a virus that is nearly always transmitted to humans through bites and scratches from rabid animals. Without appropriate intervention to prevent the development of a clinical disease, rabies is fatal.
Rabies is responsible for about 60,000 human deaths annually, mostly in developing countries.
In Kenya, an estimated 2,000 people die annually of rabies due to bites from rabid dogs.
Africa accounts for 36 per cent of the 59,000 rabies deaths in humans annually.
Besides rabies, unvaccinated dogs can spread a range of other disease-causing organisms, including salmonella.
There is also Toxocara canis , a parasite that can cause blindness in humans.
To protect dogs from diseases, dog owners should keep up with vaccination routines.
With vaccination, one can prevent diseases like rabies, worms, bordetella, Lyme disease, parvovirus, leptospirosis and distemper.
According to the World Health Organization, about 2,000 people die of rabies in Kenya every year.
The disease is transmitted through the saliva of infected mammals, usually through a bite.
