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At least one person is treated for rabies daily in a Kisii hospital.
Agriculture executive Esman Onsarigo on Friday said lack of vaccination for dogs and pets was to blame for the rise in rabies.
Speaking at Nyamarambe in South Mugirango during the National Rabies Day, Onsarigo said dogs and cats, the primary carriers of the disease, require regular vaccination for controlled spread.
“If not treated quickly the consequences are 100 per cent fatal,” Onsarigo said.
There are more 25,000 dogs and cats in Kisii households. Those left to roam around have been blamed for bites that cause rabies.
“The roaming of dogs and cats in Kisii town and other market places is a menace and a health risk both to man and animals,” Onsarigo said.
He said the county government will be conducting regular surveillance and vaccination to control the disease.
"We are fully aware of the fatality of this disease and we have allocated funds towards animal disease control. routine vaccination will prevent major outbreaks," he said.
Onsarigo said the county has often used both curative and preventive medicine practice to scale down the occurrence of zoonotic diseases through the creation of public awareness and extension services.
National deputy director veterinary services Hesbon Awanda who attended the event said, it is estimated that between 300 and 1,000 human deaths are reported in Kenya annually because of rabies.
“Unfortunately, we have poor surveillance systems in the country," Awanda said.
edited by peter obuya