The government is set to launch a nationwide dog vaccination programme in the next few weeks, as the country continues to see a sharp rise in rabies cases.
Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, said 650,000 vaccine doses have been secured from Botswana.
He added that vaccination teams will focus on the main provinces and hotspots, as well as areas along the borders of national parks where jackals are known to come from. Said Jiri:
“We are tracking livestock diseases across the country, and one of them is rabies. We have seen an increase in rabies cases across the country.
“They generally come from our dogs, and we also get it from jackals as the breeding season increases.
“So, really, we have seen prevalence and an increase in rabies cases across the country. We are going to be doing a robust vaccination programme.
“As it is, we are receiving 650 000 doses into the country from Botswana to attack the rabies situation in our country.
“Ordinarily, we require 500 000 doses per year, but this year, because of the escalation, we now have more than what we need.
“So, in the next few weeks, a rabies vaccination programme will be rolled out across the country.
More: Sunday News
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