Campaign for Rabies Vaccinations in Honduras
September 9th 2008 05:21
Health officials are offering free rabies vaccinations
The Secretary of Health in Honduras has announced that they will be carrying out a massive vaccination campaign from the 8th to the 12th of September. Citizens and residents who have a dog are invited to get their yearly rabies vaccination for free.
Officials hope to vaccinate over 200,000 dogs this week, with the support of responsible pet owners. The vaccination campaign is being carried out in response to a recent outbreak of canine rabies in the departments of Comayagua, La Paz and Valle. There had not been a reported case of canine rabies since 2003, but this year, there have been 12 confirmed cases of canine rabies. The last case of human infection with rabies was in 2000. Officials hope to stop the spread of the current outbreak and prevent possible human infections. The current outbreak was first reported in the second week of July, and could have originated in El Salvador or Guatemala, where there are reported cases of human and canine rabies. Rabies can be spread by wild animals as well as domestic animals, and long-distance transfer of outbreaks is often carried by bats.
There are over a million dogs in Honduras, mostly in major metropolitan areas like San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. Officials in these cities will begin population control measures including sterilizing females and euthanizing street dogs, and owners are reminded that dogs may not run loose.
This campaign is sponsored by the Secretary of Health, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Education, and local authorities, as well as Grupo ALCON, the local subsidiary of Cargill Incorporated.
The Secretary of Health also reminds the community to be aware of the following information about Rabies:
Signs and symptoms in Dogs
Change of behavior (aggressive even with owners, avoiding contact with people)
Doesn't eat and refuses water
Seeking out dark hiding places
Difficulty swallowing
Chewing objects
Thick, abundant saliva
Hoarse bark
Paralysis, especially of the hind legs
Signs and Clinical Picture in Humans
(symptoms can appear in 2 to 8 weeks, depending on the location of the bite)
Pain and burning at the site of the bite
Fever
Headache
Excessive salivation
Fear of water and loss of appetite
Changes in behavior (irritability, halucinations, incoherence) which can resemble psychosis
Convulsions
Coma
Death
In case of any suspicious animal bite, immediately seek medical attention. The animal should be confined, and in case of death of the animal, it's head should be sent to the laboratory (via the medical clinic). Domestic dogs should be vaccinated at three months, and then once a year after that.
Public service announcement sponsored by:
www.honduranlaw.com
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