Include dogs and cats in next census, say doctors

By PATRICK BEJA

Dogs and cats should be counted in the next population and housing census, medical and veterinary doctors have said.

The experts said this would help to fight rabies and other diseases.

The Kenya Veterinary Association Chairman Elizabeth Ouko said rabies claim many lives but there was lack of statistics due to inadequate funds to develop a reliable reporting system.

"We have initiated co-operation with medical doctors as part of laying strategies to combat rabies. We want to encourage and regulate reporting of rabies incidences and annual vaccination of dogs and people," said Dr Ouko.

More than 300 veterinary doctors who held a conference on rabies and zoonoses at the South Coast said there was also need to conduct a national dog survey and anchor zoonotic diseases in the proposed veterinary policy.

animal bites

The veterinary doctors were speaking yesterday at a conference to mark the World Rabies Day, which Public Health and Sanitation Director Shahnaz Sharif attended.

Dr Ouko said more than 55,000 people die of rabies in the world annually and most of the cases occur in Africa.

In the past two years, he said, the Government provided 92,045 of anti-rabies vaccine free of charge to victims of animal bites.

"Unfortunately even this amount of vaccine is not enough because the total number of animal bites seen in the public health institutions last were 95,209," he said.

Sharif said 63,343 animal bites were recorded between January and June this year indicating an increase from previous years.

Dr Kenneth Wameyo, the veterinary team leader, said: "We used to control the dog population but animal welfare organisations complained that we were cruel. Now the canines stray all over the country including Nairobi posing danger of rabies infection."