A boy pulls his pack of dogs to receive an anti rabies vaccine at Obunga Social Hall in Kisumu on September 28,2017, a day the universe is marking anti rabies day. Hundreds of dogs from the slum were given a jab with other places in Kisumu county also covered to end rabies infection. [Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard].
All dogs will be vaccinated against rabies in a massive operation set to begin next month.
This follows the death of a schoolgirl bitten by her family's dog last .
Violet Achieng' was bitten on December 20, last year and died on January 5. She died even after seeking treatment at Gita sub-county and Kisumu County hospitals.
Her death raised fears of a rabies outbreak. It also sparked a debate on whether enough was done to try save her life.
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The debate has prompted Dickens Onyango, the county's director of health, to announce the anti-rabies vaccination initiative.
“For the killer dog to infect the girl with rabies, it means the dog had acquired rabies from somewhere, which is probably within the neighborhood,” said Dr Onyango.
Last vaccination
The last anti-rabies vaccination was conducted in the county three years ago, and it targeted 35,000 dogs.
By then, the county's directorate of veterinary services had estimated that each of the seven sub-counties had at least 5,000 dogs.
An earlier plan to kill all stray dogs was shelved following an uproar from advocates of animal rights.
Onyango said his office was working with other stakeholders in the vaccination drive, whose schedule would be communicated at a later date.
“The girl who died was bitten by their own family dog, meaning nobody is safe. We must therefore be responsible as dog owners and ensure all of them are vaccinated when the exercise is rolled out,” he said.
According to the health official, rabies is covered under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) package, and the county has stocked all health facilities with anti-rabies vaccines.
“In the first instance, we gave each hospital 20 pints of the anti-rabies treatment,” he said.
