By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
February 28, 2013 (BENTIU) - Stray dogs in Unity state have become an increasing problem with an increase in the number of people being attacked and bitten, with seven people attacked over the last week in Biemrouk village near to Bentiu town.
Last month health authorities in Bentiu, say they treated five cases of dog bites treated in Bentiu state hospital. In Payiniar County 20 people are reported to have died of rabies from dogs bites this year.
Local people fear that an increase in street dogs poses a big threat to both animals and people around.
Dr. Sabino Andrew Amum, a medical doctor in Bentiu state hospital, told Sudan Tribune says the week alone has seen seven cases of dog bites at the hospital.
"We have seven people bite by wild dogs and also we are able to manage them, we gave them ant-rivus and now they are well all of them, almost all of these wild dogs is the most causing problem in Unity state and this also need collaboration with those of veternary also those of polices to get rid of wild dogs in the area”, added Amum.
Amum urged people to immediately report people who have been bitten to the nearest health centre for urgent treatment.
“Also this two ways either dogs should be treated or should be own by people not the wild dogs moving not belong to any body also people should be very caution in contact with dogs if the dog is wild there is many complications one of them is death and his final one is death”.
State health officials call on veterinarians officials and police in the state to prevent further dogs bites by killing stray dogs in the town. According to health authorities in Bentiu hospital since January many people were brought to hospital to seek treatment due to dogs bites. But Amum added that there was no cases of deaths from dog bites since the beginning of this year.
Dr. Botino Malual Kok, director general in the Unity State Ministry of Animals Resources and Fisheries says lack of awareness about rabies is a big challenge in the state. Kok added that the Ministry is committed to treating wild dogs but also said that dogs owners also need to to report their dogs for treatment.
“Always we uses to treat these dogs in our clinic but due to luck of awareness from our people in the villages about the danger of rubies as the virus disease which can be fetal sometimes, although we have some programme every two week a month, we discuss about public health awareness our people they don't response in the clinic when we call for vaccination campaigns for the dogs”, said Kok.
Although some dogs stay in peoples some dogs have taken to hiding in the bush and have become wild. Kok urged polices to clear stray dogs from the streets.
“So we use to recommended our wild life to kill any street dogs, because these streets dogs they are the one who cause this rubies and they are very dangerous, even sometime they bite animals and we know the people of Unity state most of them they are agro-pastoralists so most of them they are keeping livestock “, Kok told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.
Resident in Bentiu town express alot of fear availability more dogs around towns of which majority live in streets. Peter Gaw Ngundeng a resident from Bentiu, added that dogs bites are attacking other animals as well as humans.
“You know these rooming dogs they are dangerous for human being here specially with the kids, they normally attack young boys, my fear is that if they continue just increasing themselves as rooming dogs around and then they are dangerous for our children”, said Ngundeng.
Ngundeng said there is a need for an urgent law to be introduced to allow authorities to kill all street dogs in order to prevent further attacks.
“There should be regulation from the government either by killing them or by poisoning them, any method that can reduce the population of rooming dogs then can be possible because they are even barking at night, people don't sleep at all because they are really disturbing and they also attack goats”.
(ST)