Public Health Min vows to make Thailand rabies-free country

Published on February 26, 2013 by TFP   ·   No Comments

BANGKOK, 25 February 2013 (NNT) â€" The Public Health Ministry has said that it would make Thailand a rabies-free country by the year 2020, while revealing that 4 patients died of rabies in 2012.

According to Adviser to Public Health Minister Pasit Sakdanarong, 370 people in Thailand died of rabies-related infection in 2009, most of whom did not consult their doctors after they had been bitten by canines. However, the number significantly dropped to only 4 last year. He has therefore urged people to see a doctor immediately if they have been bitten or even scratched by an animal. He said the ministry is targeting to rid the country of the fatal disease by 2020.

Reportedly, approximately 500,000 people across Thailand are vaccinated against rabies each year, most of whom are children of under 10 years of age. Up to 82 percent of those vaccinated are bitten by dogs, and 13 percent by cats; all in all, pets account for 77 percent of all the cases.

(NNT: Thammarat Pramotmaneerat)

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/02/26/public-health-min-vows-to-make-thailand-rabies-free-country/