Children, biggest victims of rabies – WHO
About 40 per cent of rabies deaths globally involve children under 15 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. It says rabies causes approximately 59,000 human deaths globally each year, mostly across Asia and Africa. This means that children make up about two out of every five rabies deaths. Domestic dogs are responsible for … The post Children, biggest victims of rabies – WHO…
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), children under the age of 15 account for about 40 percent of all rabies-related deaths worldwide. Rabies claims approximately 59,000 lives each year globally, with the majority occurring in Asia and Africa. This implies that children constitute roughly two out of every five rabies fatalities.
Domestic dogs are the primary transmitters of rabies to humans, responsible for around 99 percent of all rabies transmissions to humans. Despite the fact that rabies is completely preventable, once symptoms appear in humans, the disease is invariably fatal, with no effective treatment available, and death is inevitable. In Ghana, rabies remains a significant public health concern.
In 2024, the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) documented 26 human rabies deaths out of 31 cases across nine regions. Rabies is a viral disease affecting warm-blooded animals that targets the brain and nervous system. Transmission occurs through contact with the mouth, eyes, or nose of an infected animal, typically via a bite or scratch.
Humans commonly contract the virus through an infected animal's saliva. Once inside the body, the virus reaches the brain, resulting in death. While dogs are responsible for up to 99 percent of human rabies cases globally, cats, bats, monkeys, and other mammals can also transmit the disease.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
