Increase in dog attacks in Tete province

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Increase in dog attacks in Tete province

10:36 CAT | 20 Jul 2018

Bertil explained that to prevent more cases, the health authority in coordination with the municipal council is rounding up stray dogs and destroying them. File photo: O País

A total of 586 cases of dogs attacking people were reported in the central Mozambican province of Tete during the first six months of the year. This represents a sixty per cent increase in the 366 cases during the same period in 2017.

According to a report in the daily newspaper “Noticias”, the worst affected areas are in Tete city and the districts of Angonia, Marara, Maravia, and Magoe.

The head of the provincial public health department, Alex Bertil, told the paper that, despite the increase in attacks, none led to fatalities compared with two deaths last year.

Bertil explained that to prevent more cases, the health authority in coordination with the municipal council is rounding up stray dogs and destroying them.

Bertil noted that all district health units, along with those other units with refrigeration, have received anti-rabies vaccines. However, he pointed out, “not all dog bites, or those from other animals such as cats, require an anti-rabies injection as the first step is a clinical evaluation of the wound and its severity, along with an analysis of the veterinary record of the animal in question”.

He added that the health authority promotes lectures for community leaders about animal health and the responsibility of owners to take pets to the annual vaccination campaigns run by the provincial directorate of agriculture and food security.

Bertil also urged cat and dog owners to keep their animals under control and to teach children how to reduce the risk of being bitten. He stressed that anyone bitten should immediately wash the wound with soap and water.

Domestic animals are the main vector in the transmission of rabies from animals to humans. However, it is estimated that fewer than ten per cent of dogs are vaccinated against the disease.

Source: AIM