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Obongi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local Residents in Obongi district are living in fear following the increasing number of dog bites in the area.
The most affected sub counties include Aliba, Gimara and Obongi Town council where at least seven cases of dog bites have been reported by last week, according to records at the Obongi district veterinary department.
According to the locals the stray dogs move in a pack of 2-3 mostly attacking school children, and they are calling for the leaders to intervene. Lucky Shiraji, a student of Obongi secondary school in Obongi Town council recalls how he was attacked by a stray dog last week while entering his house.
Shiraji further notes that stray dogs have become a menace to the public which could expose them to rabies, a viral disease spread through bites by pets such as dogs and cats.
Abdul Ruma, a resident of Liwa north village in Gimara sub county whose 5-year old child sustained a dog bite after he was attacked by a stray dog, appeals to the government to provide anti rabies drugs which are currently lacking at Obongi health center IV. He said most victims of dog bites in the areas are being referred to Adjumani hospital and Yumbe referral hospital which are very far.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Kamau, one of the affected residents whose child was bitten by a stray dog, says that the situation has triggered panic among the local residents who now fear to move at night over fears of being attacked.
But, Dr. Daniel Ingavure, the senior District Veterinary Officer for Obongi district calls for calm among the population stating that they have already secured 1,000 anti-rabies vaccines from the ministry of Agriculture Animal industries and fishers to roll out vaccination exercise mainly targets dogs and cats and other animal handlers who are at risk of acquiring rabies.
In West Nile, cases of rabies are rampant, something the Veterinary Officers in the sub region attribute to the high number of unvaccinated dogs.
In Uganda, an average of 14,865 dog bites and 36 rabies deaths were registered annually between 2015-2020, according to information obtained from the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH).
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