Mass dog vaccination on to tackle rabies

GAIBANDHA, Mar 25 (BSS): Health and Livestock department on March 22 launched a mass dog vaccination programme in all the seven upazilas of the district aiming to control spread of rabies in the districts.

Official sources said a total of 16,000 dogs including stray ones will be vaccinated in the district to attain the cherished goal.

Consultant of the programme Dr. Sohel Rana said rabies is a deadly virus which can be transmitted from animals to humans. In Bangladesh, 2,000 human deaths occur every year due to lack of preventive treatment of wounds caused by dog biting.

Rabies is most often transmitted via the saliva of bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and skunks. In Bangladesh, stray dogs are the most likely animals to transmit rabies. The virus has also been found in cows, cats, ferrets, and horses, he added.

In this context, the consultant suggested all infected people to go to physicians without delay and take proper treatment before symptoms like weakness, fever, headache, anxiety, confusion, fear and avoidance of water of rabies begin.