In
a speech read on her behalf during a workshop held at a Nakuru hotel
ahead of the World Rabies Day, Public Health and Sanitation minister
Beth Mugo admitted the shortage of anti-rabies
vaccines at public health facilities.
She
said rabies has remained a well recognized and feared disease in Kenya
and the whole world, with the fatal disease said to be largely caused by
domestic livestock,.
“There
is a widely known association of rabies with dog or cat bites, but many
people may not be aware that other domestic and wild animals can harbor
and transmit rabies to human
beings; because of that less knowledge, there is a tendency to ignore
the risk that could be associated with animals behaving strangely”, she
said.
It
is said that 90 per cent of rabies cases reported at the public health
facilities across the country are largely caused by domestic dogs.
Due
to the shortage of the vaccines at the public health facilities,
victims of rabies have been forced to buy the vaccines at market prices
or forego it as they cannot afford it.
However,
she disclosed that her ministry has in the past two years improved
accessibility to anti- rabies vaccine by providing about 100,000 doses
which administered
free of charge to all victims who present themselves to public health facilities throughout the country.
But
at the same time, she expressed concern over the increasing number of
cases being reporter as compared to the available vaccines at public
health facilities.
“Unfortunately
even this amount of vaccines are not enough since the number of cases
reported at the public health facilities are also over 100,000.This year
alone from January to
June, we have seen over 60,000 cases of animal bites with the increase
being attributed to public awareness of rabies and importance of early
reporting and vaccination”, said the minister in her read speech.
The ministry emphasized the need to give more attention to clear the ro0ot cause of the risk of being bitten in the first place.
The
ministry in collaboration with the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA)
using the One Health Approach will be carrying out vaccination against
domestic dogs in Naivasha today.
The
ministry has also identifies the Department of Veterinary Services,
Local government and authorities as well as the Kenya Wildlife Service
among other stakeholders, as key to
the common goal of controlling rabies.