9,456 dogs, cats vaccinated against rabies
About 9,456 dogs and cats have so far been vaccinated in the ongoing nationwide free rabies immunisation campaign, the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) has said.
The figure comprises 8,200 dogs and 1,246 cats, Dr Fenteng Danso, the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and One Health Co-Chair, disclosed at the commemoration of World Rabies Day 2026 in Accra yesterday.
On the theme, “Stronger Together,” this year’s celebration highlights the need for collaborative efforts to eliminate rabies as a public health threat by 2030.
Addressing a news conference, Dr Danso said following support received from the private sector and donor partners, the VSD had increased its target from the initial 25,000 to 40,000 dogs and cats by the end of the campaign.
He said rabies was “100 per cent preventable but 100 per cent fatal once symptoms appear” and it was important that Ghanaians took the call to vaccinate their pets seriously to guard against the danger.
According to the Deputy CVO, although more than 4.8 million people in Ghana had been reached with rabies prevention messages through public education and awareness programmes, this had barely translated into action.
He said proper preventive measures and handling of animal bites, late presentation to health facilities, and myths and misconceptions surrounding rabies remained challenges in the fight against the disease.
Dr Danso cautioned the public against relying on unproven remedies for rabies, stressing that anyone exposed to a suspected rabid animal should seek appropriate medical attention immediately.
He reiterated that stronger collaboration among all stakeholders within the One Health framework remained key to sustaining vaccination, public education and prompt management of animal bites towards the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.
The Greater Accra Regional Veterinary Officer, Dr Joseph Abuh, said seven high-risk areas had been identified in the region where human deaths linked to rabies had been recorded in recent years.
They included the Accra Metropolitan Area (AMA), Ga West, Adenta, La Nkwatanan, Madina and Ga South.
He identified Ashalaja in the Ga West Municipality as a high-risk area of particular concern after about three rabies-related deaths were recorded in the last two years.
Dr Abuh said the periodic unavailability and supply-chain disruptions of rabies vaccines were major challenges to control and elimination efforts.
Nonetheless, he urged members of the public not to trivialise dog bites but to seek immediate medical attention to avoid preventable deaths.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease transmitted mainly through the saliva of infected animals, usually through bites, and can cause fever, headache, confusion, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation and paralysis and, once symptoms appear, death.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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