Four children among five rabies victims in Bongo District
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Bongo District recorded five rabies deaths following dog bites between June 2025 and October 2026.
The victims included four children aged between one and 15 years, a situation the GHS said required urgent public attention.
The deaths were among 115 reported dog-bite cases across the district, with Bongo Central recording 41 cases and four deaths, while Bongo-Soe recorded 27 cases and one death involving a 65-year-old person.
Madam Clotilda Asobuno, the District Disease Control Officer, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the observance of World Rabies Day in Bongo, held on the theme: “Stronger Together.”
She said the observance, originally scheduled for September 28, was postponed due to a ban on noisemaking in the district.
As part of the activities, participants embarked on a float through the streets of Bongo, displaying placards with inscriptions such as: “Rabies is preventable, let's work together to end it” and “End rabies in our community,” to raise awareness of rabies prevention and responsible animal handling.
Madam Asobuno said the GHS collaborated with Bongo Junior High School, the District Assembly, Veterinary Services and Environmental Health officers to educate the public on rabies prevention and the appropriate action to take following dog bites.
She described the number of reported cases as alarming, adding that there could be more unreported cases.
“In total, we had 115 cases that reported for dog bite in the whole district. We saw this as an alarm, and those that have not been reported, we don't know,” she said.
The Disease Control Officer urged residents to ensure that their dogs were vaccinated and to seek immediate medical attention after being bitten by an animal suspected of carrying rabies.
She said although the GHS, in collaboration with Zipline, had arrangements to supply anti-rabies vaccines for humans, shortages could sometimes occur, compelling patients to purchase the vaccines privately at a high cost.
According to her, the human anti-rabies vaccine could cost between GH¢800 and GH¢1,000 on the open market.
She encouraged residents to have their dogs vaccinated through the Veterinary Services Department, where vaccination was available at a reduced cost of about GH¢30.
Madam Asobuno said rabies was almost invariably fatal once clinical symptoms appeared, making early intervention critical.
“When you get the bite, come on time. We assess and see whether we have to vaccinate that person to prevent further deaths in the district,” she said.
She cautioned that the incubation period could last for several months and that an infected person could develop symptoms even after the bite wound had healed.
Madam Asobuno said symptoms, including aggressive behaviour, abnormal barking and headaches, could indicate the onset of the disease, at which stage vaccination would no longer be effective.
“When it starts like that, it means that the vaccine can no longer solve your problem. You will have to die no matter what. And that is what we want to prevent,” the Disease Control Officer said.
The GHS, therefore, called on residents to vaccinate their dogs, promptly report dog-bite incidents to health facilities and cooperate with veterinary authorities to prevent further rabies deaths in the district.
GNA