By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
Sierra Leoneans must start treating their pet dogs with respect and care if the country is to meet the global target of eliminating rabies by 2030, animal rights campaigners have pleaded.
The campaigners blame the deplorable condition of dogs for the prevalence in rabies, a deadly viral disease that’s said to claim over 200 lives in the country annually.
Rabies is transmitted via the bite of an infested animal, and spreads from the saliva of the vector, causing inflammation to the brain in humans and other mammals.
In different parts of the world several animals are known to transmit the virus including dogs, bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks. In Sierra Leone dogs are the known culprits.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths worldwide, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans, mainly in Asia and Africa.
Symptoms in infected humans include a fever with pain and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking, or burning sensation at the wound site.
The National Livestock Animal Welfare and Rabies Control Taskforce says there is an estimated population of 250, 000 dogs in Sierra Leone, most of which are found roaming the streets without control.
Dr Abdul Gudush Jalloh, Director of the Sierra Leone Animal Welfare Society and leading member of the task force, said many of these stray dogs opt to fend for themselves because their owners do not treat them properly. Jalloh, Sierra Leone’s best known veterinary doctor who works with the Ministry of Agriculture, told journalists at a press conference in Freetown on Thursday that animals, like humans, are also entitled to shelter, food, stress management, the exercise of natural behavior, and disease control mechanisms.
"Just as we look after people, we must look after our animals, or they share their problems with us in the community," he said.
Warning against a regrettable culture of cruelty against animals in the country, Jalloh stressed that Sierra Leoneans should stop keeping animals when they do not have the capacity to take proper care of their welfare.
According to the veterinarian, figures obtained by his department reveal that 626 dog bites incidents and seven fatalities have so far been reported this year in Sierra Leone. And the Ministry of Health says on average three people out of every 100, 000 die from rabies infection in the country. This amounts to 210 deaths annually from the disease.
Rabies is preventable with vaccine and prompt treatment that include extensive washing of the bite wound after exposure, to prevent the virus from reaching the central nervous system which leads to death.
Prompt administration of treatment, generally within 10 days of infection, is crucial to prevent the disease. But health service providers constantly complain of shortage of treatment drugs and shortage of expertise.
For a population of over 7 million, according to the 2015 Population and Housing Census, there are only five trained veterinary doctors in the country.
For Tynnyson Williams, Country Director of the World Animal Protection Africa, a culture of proper care for animals has economic implications too. He cited an existing European ban on fish export from Sierra Leone, which was the result of lack of standard care for its fish stocks.
The sight of dogs roaming about all over the country also has the potential to discourage tourism as it serves as an eyesore, Williams said.
“If Sierra Leone has to be competitive to sell or export our livestock products, our veterinary services has to improve, because people will not buy our livestock product that has not been taken care of,” he said, noting that dogs could be a source of fun if they are properly cared for, to the attraction of people who like them.
“Freetown is at a situation where we have to see the dog problem as a development issue. And the dog issue is not an issue alone for somebody who is interested in dogs,” he said.
The campaigners say discussions have been ongoing with relevant government authorities and institutions, including the Freetown City Council and the ministries of health, agriculture, education and the judiciary, with the goal of drawing an action plan to implement the National Rabies Elimination Strategy launched in 2017 in Freetown.
Thursday’s press conference was meant to take this message to the wider populace.
Amara Idara Sheriff, Director General at the Ministry of Agriculture, said negotiations were also ongoing with the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Njala University to establish a veterinary school, which will produce more veterinarians. He said plans were also underway to train laboratory technicians who would aid the work of the veterinary doctors.
(c) 2018 Politico Online
