By Nasratu Kargbo
With stray dogs in almost every corner of the city, Citizens have called on the government to make the rabies vaccine for humans accessible and affordable to all Sierra Leoneans.
Speaking with Politico on the 31st August 2023, Mabinty Sankoh said she believes there is an increase in dog bites in the country. She explained that she was bitten by a street dog late in the evening and had to visit the hospital where she was told that she cannot get access to the vaccine unless she visits a certain place at Goderich.
She said that she slept with fear of the poison spreading in her system.
“We met a lot of people from different parts of the country waiting to take the vaccine, it was then that I realized that dogs bite a lot of people in Sierra Leone. Most of the people I spoke to that day were bitten by street dogs” she said.
Sankoh said the number of stray dogs on the streets is alarming, noting that the whole country needs to work towards a drastic reduction of the dog population on the street.
Abass Jalloh explained the hassle his family went through when a dog bit his father Chernor Hamidu Jalloh who was by his shop at Calaba Town. Just like Sankoh, he said they could not access the vaccine in a nearby hospital and that they had to go to the medical store for his father to take the vaccine.
Highlighting ways he thinks the challenges can be solved, he said they had no clue on how long the poison affects an individual, noting that it is important that massive education is conducted to sensitize the public on rabies disease.
Jalloh explained that it is important that the public understands how many shots one should take if bitten by a street or compound dog. He added that understanding the difficulties will stop people from being suspicious about the drug store, making money unscrupulously. Jalloh added that some people do not even take the required dosage of jabs because they believe that one or two shots will get rid of the poison.
“Dog bites happen more like an accident, more like an emergency. What happens to those who do not have the money to take the shot immediately? If there is provision for government to provide the jab for free, it will be really nice, because there are a lot of people who cannot afford to take it”
He said there are dogs everywhere and that the government has made no effort in ensuring that they are taken off the streets, or licensed by their owners. He added that if the government cannot make the jab free, they should make sure they reduce the dog population in the streets.
In an interview with the Risk Communication Pillar Lead at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Harold Thomas said that the vaccine is procured by a private entity and not the government. However, he noted that the government is putting mechanisms in place to ensure they start procuring the vaccines and make it available to Sierra Leoneans.
Emphasizing how deadly rabies disease is, Thomas said that the disease has recorded only one survivor in the whole world, explaining that when once an individual starts showing signs of the disease there are greater chances of them dying.
He explained that when one treats their dog and that dog bites a person, the person might likely not be infected, but was quick to say that the dog should be observed.
Thomas mentioned that other animals such as cats, bats amongst others can infect humans with rabies.
According to the USA Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “The rabies infects the central nervous system. If a person does not receive the appropriate medical care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death”.
The institution in their article stated that the disease can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife and seeking medical care after potential exposure before symptoms start.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (01/09/23)
