02 Oct 2017

Agricultural development and Food Security Minister, Mr Patrick Ralotsia is confident that by year 2030 rabies would be a thing of the past.

Speaking at World Rabies Day Commemoration in Ghanzi on September 28, Mr Ralotsia stated that the theme of the event Rabies: Zero by 2030 was achievable and vowed that Botswana would accomplish the theme.

Mr Ralotsia who called for stakeholder involvement said there was no doubt that Botswana could wipe out rabies because the country had in the past successfully defeated virulent diseases such as contagious bovine Plueuropneumonia, Polio and leprosy.

He cautioned parents to take precaution so that their children did not contract rabies as children were mostly susceptible to the disease because they usually played or had contact with dogs and cats which carried the rabies virus.

“Teach them how to handle such animals without putting their lives at risk,” he stated.

The minister encouraged the community to observe rabies vaccination exercises to avoid deaths due to the disease as prevention was better than cure.

He said movement of pets (dogs and cats) from one area to another should be done after consultation with veterinary services, particularly across country borders.

The pets he said could transmit rabies from wild dogs and cat’s family or wild carnivore species for instance, foxes and jackals.

Botswana he said was well advanced in the field of livestock and animal health.

He added the opening of the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE) office in Botswana was befitting due to the success government had made in animal health.

OIE official, Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo stated that rabies was caused by virus harboured mostly by dogs and affected animal brain cells while the incurable virus was transmitted through saliva.

Most victims of rabies, Dr Letshwenyo said were children and four out of 10 lose their lives to the disease.

To defeat rabies, over 70 per cent of pets should be vaccinated, he stated

Dr Letshwenyo said drugs used to treat rabies victims came at a huge financial cost to government though vaccination of animals or pets was cost effective.

He said stray dogs should be a cause for concern for the country to win rabies battle.

He explained that in other countries one should be assessed first in order to be allowed to rear a dog unlike in Botswana where anybody could rear a dog.

He said some countries had already eradicated the disease.

Dr Letshwenyo appreciated government’s efforts towards combating rabies for years, noting that it would be disappointing to fail to eradicate the disease in the next 13 years.

An official from Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Nesredin Jani said Ghanzi had never experienced rabies in the past 10 years as such government deserved a pat on the back for their effort in controlling the disease.

Member of Parliament for Ghanzi North constituency, Mr Noah Salakae appealed to the public to attend events like these in large numbers because knowledge was power.  ENDS