Rabies in Yemen: Estimated ‘hundreds of deaths’ in Sana’a

By NewsDesk @bactiman63

Stray dogs roaming the streets of the Yemen capital of Sana’a have caused a terror and huge public health problem, according to a Gulf365 report (computer translated).

The report notes that medical sources confirmed that the number of “rabies” infections in the capital, Sanaa, is estimated at thousands, including hundreds of deaths, most of them children and women.

Officially, The Ministry of Health and Population of the Houthi militia recently announced that 50 deaths were reported as a result of rabies and 9498 cases of dog infestations during about 7 months of the year 2019, which are all cases that reached health facilities. The ministry said 18 deaths were recorded with rabies, and about 7000 other people were infected with the disease during 2018.

The only health center for treatment of rabies in the Republican Hospital in the capital, Sanaa, receives between 15 and 30 cases on a daily basis, mostly women and children. This center suffers from a lack of vaccine medication for the treatment of rabies, which leads to complications for the injured, leading to increased deaths from people who are unable to provide the costs of treatment and hospital and the value of the vaccine dose for the treatment.

Medical sources reported that the Houthi militia is looting financial allocations for rabies vaccines, which are supposed to be available at the center in the Republican Hospital and distributed to the injured free of charge, while vaccines provided by international organizations as drug aid are sold in most pharmacies in the capital, Sanaa.

The directorate of stray dogs control at the Municipality of Amman claimed in press statements that it had launched since late November an early campaign to combat stray dogs in all districts of the Capital Municipality, and to limit its spread, implemented by the Health and Improvement Fund and the Municipality Cleaning Project, with the participation of 4 field teams from the Department of Control and Spray. Within 3 weeks, 5050 dogs will be killed.

Many residents of the capital, Sanaa, considered this campaign insufficient, as dogs are still seen in large numbers in many streets and neighborhoods, causing an increase in the number of injuries and deaths due to rabies and the lack of an increase in the Houthi’s authority, which is not recognized internationally, in the lives of citizens.

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