A veterinary officer administers a rabies vaccine to a dog at Shimbahills area in Kwale County on September 2, 2018../Chari Suche
More than 3,000 dogs and cats have been vaccinated against rabies in Kwale County in a period of one week.
The vaccination by the Kenya Veterinary Association was done through a door to door visits by officers in the county.
Rabies is a contagious disease that affects mainly dogs and cats and it can be spread to humans through
bites.
"This disease can cause madness once a human being has been bitten by a rabid dog or cat,
it's passed through the saliva of the animal to the human, " said Dr. Samuel Kahariri.
Kahariri noted that an approximation of Sh8.6 billion is used worldwide to fight rabies.
"There are over 60,000 deaths in Africa and Asia related to rabies deaths," he said.
Kahariri said that a rabies vaccine is only Sh100 yet people are reluctant.
"Treating rabies is expensive in comparison to the cost incurred when such animals are vaccinated.
A treatment against the disease goes for Sh10,000 which most of the pet owners cannot afford, " he added.
Kahariri said the fight against rabies has been complicated by lack of enforcement of laws safeguarding ownership and treatment of animals.
"We have the Rabies Control Act but enforcement has been poor, " he said
Kahariri asked locals to make sure all veterinary doctors who treat their animals are registered and display their certificates when they visit the farmers to avoid quacks.
Read:
Post a comment
WATCH: The latest videos from the Star