Health
Thai Government Trying to Make Thailand Rabies Free By 2020
CHIANG RAI – Thailand’s Livestock Development Department has distributed anti-rabies vaccines to local authorities across the country as it aims to make the country free of rabies by 2020.
The Department’s Director-General Sorawit Thaneeto said that pet owners can bring their dogs and cats to get vaccinated at local livestock offices until June.
In march of last year, Livestocks officials gave rabies vaccine shots to dogs and cats at a temple in Chiang Rai’s Muang district as Chiang Rai is one of 13 provinces declared by the Livestocks Department as a red-alert area for rabies.
Chiang Rai chief livestock officer Nopporn Mahakanya said the officials took the action after dogs in at least four villages in the tambon tested positive to rabies.
Presently 43 provinces in Thailand have reported no rabies cases for more than six months and no rabies-related death has been found in the country this year.
State agencies coordinated to tackle the problem in rabies vaccine supply and ensured the imports of 14.9 million doses are adequate. The survey found that this year, 14.3 million doses of rabies vaccines are needed.
The vaccine test by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University found that the vaccines are of good quality and effective to develop immunity to the disease.
