The State Minister for Agriculture Animal Industry, Dr. Bright Rwamirama has said that, Uganda will join the rest of the world to commemorate World Rabies Day under the theme Rabies: all for 1, one health for all in Gomba district.

Rwamirama, while speaking at Uganda Media Centre on September 26, 2023, said that the day will be celebrated in honor of Dr. Louis Pasteur’s ground breaking achievement in developing the first rabies vaccine.

He stated that, the occasion will serve as a means of raising awareness about rabies, the prevention and to underscore the remarkable strikes made in combating the dangerous disease.

“On average, 32 people and 130 animals die of rabies annually, and the number could rise up but the report levels are still low,” Rwamirama said.

He noted that, Uganda spends more than Ugx 7Bn each year to purchase anti-rabies treatment for humans and more than Ugx 1Bn annually for procuring rabies vaccines for animals.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries 2021 statistics, there is a high risk of rabies infection due to a limited dog’s vaccination.

Dog biting episodes in humans are 75.00% and 62.50% in Moyo and Ntoroko districts respectively. Twenty-seven samples tested positive for rabies by FAT and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Ugandan sequence was closely related (97% nucleotide id) to the rabies virus sequences. Rabies remains a public health hazard in Uganda.

There is urgent need to establish advocacy programs in both schools and communities to curtail the spread of rabies, and a strong collaboration between medical and veterinary sectors under a one health platform which is required to ensure sufficient preventative services to the communities.