Rabies in West Africa , Ghana chapter, (RIWA-Ghana), a non-governmental organization comprising members from the Veterinary, Medical professions and other key institutions, spearheaded the observation of World Rabies Day with a number of awareness creation activities. These included a dog walk with members of the Kennel Union of Ghana and their pets on the 25th of September to raise awareness through some principal streets of Accra.
There were also a series of radio and television talk shows to educate the public about the scourge of rabies and how to prevent the disease. On World Rabies Day, a public forum was organized at the premises of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church by RIWA Ghana, and partnered by the Rotary Club of Accra South to raise awareness about rabies. The Chairman of RIWA Ghana, Dr. Richard Suu-ire, said that RIWA was open to all members of society who were interested in kicking rabies out of Ghana.
Messages of solidarity were read from representatives of the Deputy Minister for Livestock, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, WHO Ghana, and FAO Ghana. The Acting Director of the Veterinary Services of Ghana, Dr. Ben Aniwa, said that, September 28th was set side each year in commemoration of the death of Louis Pasteur, one of two scientists who discovered the rabies vaccine. He said that the general theme for each World Rabies Day was for society at large to work together towards ending rabies.
Dr. Aniwa explained that the main problem facing developing countries, and Ghana for that matter, in the fight against rabies, were financial challenges associated with rabies control in dogs. However, there was the need to put this into proper perspective as only about 10% of the amount currently being spent globally on emergency treatment for rabies exposures could help to eliminate canine rabies and therefore break the cycle of transmission, since dogs were the main sources of infection for humans.
In conclusion, Dr. Aniwa called on national and local government to support the Veterinary Services Directorate financially to carry out three consecutive annual dog vaccinations, since all the tools for rabies elimination were already known and available. The President of the Rotary Club of Accra South, Mrs. Kristine Lamptey, in her solidarity speech, noted that rabies was a disease which disproportionately affected developing countries, and considering that health care facilities were limited in rural communities, victims from such areas were most vulnerable. She also lamented that a significant number of rabies victims were children of school going age.
Mrs. Lamptey therefore pledged the Club’s support and assistance in fighting rabies in Ghana. In furtherance of this, the RCAS sponsored free vaccination of pets for owners from the Osu Klotey community. Educational material was also shared for school children to enable them share rabies information with their colleagues. The President of the Ghana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also stressed that they were located in most parts of the country and rabies education to school children was one of their activities.
Dr. Asiedu Bekoe from the Public Health Department of the Ghana Health Service, gave a presentation on rabies in humans. Dr. Perdita Hilary Lopes, an Epidemiologist with the Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, also gave a presentation on the control and management of rabies in animals and humans from the One Health perspective, highlighting the initial response to a suspected rabies exposure, and the role
visit the RIWA page