Three people have died of rabies in Karonga District this month alone, The Daily Times has established.
Karonga District Hospital Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Officer Raymond Jereni said the deceased people were bitten by dogs suspected to be rabid.
He said there has been an increase in the number of people bitten by dogs, with 245 cases being registered in 2022.
“In 2023, we have already recorded 230 cases,” Jereni said.
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Statistics indicate that there are over 10,000 dogs in Karonga but, due to limited resources, only about 4,000 are vaccinated during campaigns.
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And, in a statement, Jereni says they are worried with the situation.
“This is a concern for us. We did not register any deaths related to rabies in the past two years but we have already registered more than 15 dog bite cases within this month,” Jereni said.
Principal Animal Health and Livestock Development Officer for Karonga District Agriculture Development Division, Michael Mapundi, said some pets were missed during mass rabies vaccination campaigns which were conducted in March and April this year.
Mapundi expressed worry that many people who have pets such as dogs do not vaccinate them against rabies, hence infesting the district with stray dogs roaming around the district.
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He said, normally, it takes a month or more before signs and symptoms of rabies start manifesting in humans after being bitten by a rabid suspected pet.
Meanwhile, Director of Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources for Karonga District Council, Raphael Mkisi, has said dogs and pets are supposed to be vaccinated every year.
Mkisi said they have about 2,000 doses of rabies vaccine, with plans to set vaccination dates.
“The other issue is that when one is bitten by a dog, he is supposed to immediately go to the hospital to be attended to. But we understand that those who were affected took more than 30 days to go to the hospital,” he said.
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals and has signs and symptoms such as fever, headache and anxiety, sore throat and cough in its initial stages.
