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Rabies is endemic to Zimbabwe, but so long as all dogs are vaccinated it does not get out of control and there should be a zero death rate. Few people are bitten by jackals or hyenas, the main wildlife carriers of the virus, and so it is dogs infected by these wild animals that are the main carriers.
This year, unfortunately, six people have died of rabies. This implies that we have been slack in recent years in ensuring that our laws are obeyed and all dogs are vaccinated.
Cats are almost always killed rather than injured if attacked by a rabid animal and there do not seem to be any records of cat-to-human transmission despite the large number of feral cats, hence the traditional emphasis on dogs, the source of almost all human infections although vaccinating other pets is always a good idea.
Any mammal can contract rabies, but we need to recognise that a proper vaccination programme concentrating on dogs is the way to keep the disease away from our cities and at negligible levels in the countryside. This has worked before and will work now.
The Department of Veterinary Field Services is now vaccinating 6 000 dogs in Harare. This is commendable, but the dog population must be a lot larger.
There are many sensible and responsible dog owners who take their dogs regularly to the vet for vaccinations, but there are many more who do not, either because they do not care or because they cannot afford the fee.
So every vaccination done by the department is a help. Clearly, they could use more vaccine and more assistance.
It appears that stocks of vaccine are not as high as hoped. This should be rectified as quickly as possible.
Vaccines are not that expensive and the Department should be able to respond swiftly and effectively to any potential or actual outbreak and then follow up with the sort of public dog vaccinations we have seen in past years and decades and which did so much to make rabies a vague danger rather than the real threat it is now becoming.
City and town councils could also do a lot to prevent rabies.
It is an offence to allow a dog to wander in public places if it is not under the direct control of a responsible person.
People who leave their gates open and let their dogs wander are committing an offence and can, and should be, fined.
So far as rabies control goes, a dog locked up in someone’s garden and taken for walks on a lead is far less likely to meet and be bitten by a rabid animal.
And if it does get into a dog fight the owner knows, and can have it vaccinated immediately.
All local authorities are supposed to ensure that all dogs in their area are licensed, not so much to make money, since the licence disc and administration costs might not be fully covered by the tiny fees, but to ensure that the home of every dog is known, owners of straying dogs can be forced to look after their animals, and that there is, through much higher fees, a serious incentive for owners of female dogs to have them sterilised.
Enforcement of these anti-straying and dog-licensing regulations seems to be at a totally zero level.
Yet a bit of action would make most areas a lot safer for everyone, not just from rabies but from simply being attacked by dogs. With almost 500 dog bites a week reported, and no one knows how many unreported, it is clear that a lot of innocent people are being attacked in public places where they have every right to be.
We assume that thieves bitten while burgling a house do not make police reports.
Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, there was a lot more enforcement of the rules that almost eradicated rabies and minimised attacks by dogs.
We need to return to those days and ensure full vaccination of dogs and enforcement of the rules controlling dogs.
Online Reporter