Efforts to kick rabies out of Kimanjaro underway

Dar es Salaam. Kilimanjaro residents must be all smiles following news that their dogs and cats will finally be vaccinated.

This comes after the government received vaccines worth Sh103 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which works closely with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

More than 40,000 dogs and cats in the region will be vaccinated in an effort to eradicate rabies. Recent reports show that approximately 1,500 people die annually of rabies in Kilimanjaro. It is the region with the biggest number of dogs and cats.

This revelation was made yesterday by the deputy minister for Fisheries and Livestock, Mr Abdallah Ulega during a workshop that brought together farmers and herders in Dar es Salaam.

The workshop was meant to build their skills and make them aware of the policy, which governs keeping of animals that spread rabies.

“When you contract rabies, chances that lead to death are high, so it is important to have your dogs and cats vaccinated,” said Ulega.

Meanwhile, Mr Ulega called for change in the fisheries sector in order to start producing locally. A big per cent of what Tanzanians consume, according to him, is imported.

“Country’s demand for fish stands at 700,000 tonnes per year, but we fish less than 400,000 tonnes and the rest come from abroad. We have to reverse this trend in order to save the foreign currency that we lose on things that are within our capacity,” he said.

Speaking during the same occasion, the director of Farmbase Agrochemicals, Mr Suleiman Mselem, said his firm, which is the only one that has an international value of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), convinced other manufacturers to train stakeholders with a view to lifting the livestock and fisheries sector.