Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals on Saturday vaccinated dogs in Area 23 in the capital city as part of commemorating the World Rabies Day.
On the day, the society also conducted civic education exercise on what to do when bitten by a dog, how to prevent rabies and where to report suspected rabies incidents.
Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals rabies project coordinator Edison Chiweta said they decided to vaccinate dogs in Area 23 because it has a high population of dogs.
He said: “We are pleased that dog owners now understand the importance of vaccinating their pets to keep their families and communities safe from rabies.
“Rabies is a fatal disease which can be prevented by vaccinating dogs. If a person is infected by rabies, the person can die because there is no cure; hence, the important thing is vaccinate the pets.”
Area 23 resident Boxer Tchilodi, who owns seven dogs, thanked the society for the vaccination.
“The society is doing us a great service to protect, not only people’s lives, but our dogs as well. I am here today again to ensure my dogs are vaccinated,” he said.
Another resident Elina Banda, who owns two dogs, was equally pleased with the exercise.
“We have lots of dogs and this exercise has come at the right time,” she said.
Residents in Area 23 and surrounding communities came in large numbers with their pets. The exercise was conducted in partnership with WTG Germany.
