Dr. Laura Besong, Sub-Director In charge of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries.

How should people take care of their pets daily?

Having a pet is like someone having a baby.  The animal needs to be fed, treated taken care of properly. It has to be washed regularly to prevent smells and infestation by worms and other parasites that can be detrimental to its health. I will like to call on pet owners to have a responsible behaviour towards their animals. The animals should not be left to go out and fend for themselves because many people have pets but these animals go to the dustbin and feed. It is very dangerous because when an animal gets infested outside, it comes back to the house and plays with children and with the owners. This is very dangerous because it can transmit rabies to the members of the family and even to the neighbours around.

The animals have a right to treatment which includes vaccination.

What should an individual do when bitten by a pet?

When someone is bitten by a pet or scratched by a cat, this person should wash the wound with a lot of water and soap. That will reduce the viruses that were deposited on the wound and by so doing, reduce the risks of being contaminated and infected with rabies then he should go to a health centre to be administered an anti tetanus injection, as well as the human treatment for rabies which is usually called the post-treatment.

What is the government doing to fight stray animals that are a danger to the population?

Fighting against stray animals is the responsibility of the Council. The Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry has given funds to some urban councils to tackle this public health issue. The Council, for example organises the killing or elimination of stray dogs on public roads. This is done in collaboration with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation which issues an order instructing that this activity be carried out with MINEPIA staff. Conventions have been signed with laboratories like Centre Pasteur for diagnosis, surveillance and training of its personnel as well as vaccination of personnel who are exposed. The main way of preventing rabies is through the vaccination of dogs and eliminating it from the animal population.

Can you tell us about this campaign that begins today and targets about 8000 pets?

When we evaluate the annual vaccination campaign, we understand that most people cannot really afford to pay for this vaccine even though it is subsidised. So the Minister has decided to put in place 8,000 vaccines to fight rabies through this campaign.