By KT Reporter
The increasing cases of dog bites in Moyo District are raising concerns among local communities. The most affected areas include Moyo Town Council, Moyo, and Lefori Sub-Counties, which have reportedly recorded the highest numbers of dog bite incidents.
Moyo is one of the districts in West Nile with many stray dogs that often roam from home to home in search of food and mates, as many owners do not take proper care of them.
According to Dr. Richard Anguyo, Moyo District Veterinary Officer, 17 dog bite cases were registered in August alone, marking the highest monthly number since January this year.
Dr. Anguyo adds that while locals are the most affected, two of the 19 cases recorded since the start of the year involved refugees living in Palorinya Refugee Camp, with some of these cases testing positive for rabies.
Further reports from Moyo District local government indicate that more efforts are being mobilized to conduct community sensitization and carry out mass vaccination of dogs against rabies, as a measure to reduce the dangers associated with dog bites.
Speaking in the local Ma’di dialect, Robert Chaiga, Local Council One chairman for Coloa Cell, Lefori Town Council, warned dog owners to start confining their dogs.
“Nowadays there are very many dogs roaming in homes all over the cell. We shall be forced to start poisoning dogs that are left to stray all over the villages if the owners do not take care of them and have them vaccinated to prevent the spread of diseases,” Chaiga said.
Dog bites are common in most parts of West Nile, where dogs were originally reared for hunting and security purposes. However, with the decline of wildlife hunting, most dogs are now kept at home and poorly cared for by their owners.
Some unconfirmed reports indicate that dogs are considered a delicacy in parts of DR Congo and West Africa, where they are reared for consumption due to the perceived medicinal value of their meat.
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