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Rabies kills 33 in Addis Ababa
30/09/2000 09:17 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - Rabies has killed 33 people in Addis Ababa this year and at least 15 percent of stray dogs roaming the streets of the Ethiopian capital have the disease, health officials warned in Friday's
press.
Medical sources said that people who have died of the agonising
disease were bitten by dogs and other infected animals, but failed to report to health clinics.
The Ethiopian Health and Nutritional Research Institute (EHNRI) has
found that 177 of 1 166 stray dogs examined in the city last year
were carrying the disease, according to figures published by
Friday's press.
"The situation is alarming and must be given all the necessary attention," said Eshetu Yemer, a doctor who furnished the ENHRI figures. He added that in the past two months, "89 people have been
bitten by rabid dogs".
Nine people died between the start of July and the end of August, he said.
The EHNRI has called for preventive action on the part of city authorities to reduce the number of strays. The institute said the
dog owners should be obliged to register them and have them
vaccinated against rabies every six months. - Sapa-AFP
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