Rabies claims 3 lives

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
THREE people have died of rabies in Masvingo Province while one is admitted following an attack by an infected jackal amid reports of a serious shortage of vaccines.
In an interview yesterday, Department of Veterinary Services provincial officer Dr Ernest Dzimwazha said all the three people died last week. He said 35 cases of rabies have been reported in the province this month alone.

Dr Dzimwazha said since the beginning of the year more than a 1,000 people contracted the disease in the province.

“We’ve received reports of the death of two adults from Chivi and one child from Zaka. This is worrying and it normally happens when we’ve a shortage of vaccines. There’s also one serious case that we received from Zano area in Masvingo district where a boy was attacked by a jackal which had rabies,” said Dr Dzimwazha.

He said rabies could easily be dealt with if there were adequate vaccines.

Dr Dzimwazha said it was easier to prevent rabies than treating infected people.

“Treating rabies is very expensive by our standards. One dose costs about $40 at private pharmacies and few people can afford that. The major challenge is that there’s serious shortage of the rabies drug at our health institutions hence we prefer to vaccinate dogs against the disease than waiting for the animals to attack people,” he said.

Dr Dzimwazha said they were working together with the local authority, the Ministry of Health and Child Care as well as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in fighting the rabies outbreak.

He urged people attacked by either dogs or jackals to immediately seek treatment at the nearest health centre.