Public Agenda (Accra)
Aberinga Milton
27 October 2009
Bolga — Residents of the Bongo district and of communities within the Bolgatanga Municipal area in the Upper East Region are trembling in fear as rabies infested dogs have bitten and killed six people with two others currently in critical conditions.
The horrific death of an eleven-year old boy on October 19, 2009 in Zorko, a suburb of the Bongo, brought the total number of deaths related to rabies to six within five days. According to an eye witness, when the boy was brought to the hospital he was literarily barking like a dog and behaving aggressively. He said that because the case had advanced the medical personnel could not offer any help except to dose him with sedatives just to ease the pains. His parents out of frustration however took the child home where he died later the same day.
When Public Agenda visited the Bongo District Hospital, a Senior Nursing Officer confirmed the cases but said all the six people died out of hospital since "they were brought in too late for admission and treatment."
The official lamented the absence of anti-rabies vaccines in the hospital. She said that even cases that were reported timely could not be treated because of lack of the anti- rabies vaccine in the hospital.
According to her, two people from Namoo, a border community in the district, reported with cases of rabies on October 20, 2009 but were asked to go and buy the drug at Bolga for treatment. The victims could not afford the drug and so had to return home to await their painful death. According to the official, anti-rabies drug sold in the open market costs around GHc100.00, an amount too costly for most people living in deprived communities such as Bongo.
An official at the hospital who pleaded anonymity alleged that because the drug is expensive some officials are hoarding the drug as a way of making money for themselves. She wondered why an anti-rabies drug which is not regularly dispensed can suddenly run short of supply.
Another official, speaking on anonymity, was of the view that as a matter of urgency all dogs and cats within the district should be vaccinated free of charge.
Another option, according to the official, was to kill all dogs as it was done to pigs at the time of the swine fever since the situation was reaching an alarming state.
"As I speak to you now, we don't know how many dogs are getting infected out there and how many people will be bitten by these dogs," she stated.
When this reporter visited the veterinary offices in the district no official was available for comment.
When contacted on telephone, the District Chief Executive of Bongo, Hon. Akugre Clement, said that he was not aware of the matter. He however, said that he would liaise with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Service to find a solution to the menace.
The people of Bongo are living in fear now with every passing moment and demand the immediate supply of anti- rabies vaccines for the treatment of infected persons. They are also calling on the veterinary division of the Ministry of Agriculture to, as a matter of urgency, take steps to vaccinate all dogs and possibly cats to prevent further spread of the disease.
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