The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said on Thursday that human deaths due to rabies could be ended by 2030, according to Dr. Kassem Nasser Al-Qahtani, director of animal resources.
Al-Qahtani made the announcement at the conclusion of a workshop held on Thursday to engender awareness on the disease.
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease which occurs in more than 150 countries and territories. According to a report, rabies kills about 59,000 people a year, mainly in Asian and African countries with large stray dog populations.
Al-Qahtani said that countries are now working to eliminate the disease by 2030 by raising the level of awareness regarding the disease and how to deal with it in human beings as well as in animals.
He was echoing a UN announcement during the launching of the world’s biggest anti-rabies initiative recently held in Rome, during which it was announced that human deaths from rabies can be ended by 2030 through mass immunization of dogs, along with better health care education.
During the workshop, participants stressed the importance of communication between the human and veterinary health sectors on stray animals that may spread the disease.
Al-Qahtani told workshop participants that the ministry vaccinated more than 35,000 animals last year against the disease.
He added that if there’s a need to vaccinate livestock, owners should inform the ministry.