Rabies still a public health hazard in Cambodia: WHO
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) — The World Health Organization ( WHO) said Friday that rabies was still a public health hazard in Cambodia and called for broad vaccinations for dogs to prevent the disease.
“Rabies is highly endemic and a noticeable disease in Cambodia, ” said a joint statement by the WHO and the Cambodian Health Ministry. “According to a study by the Institute Pasteur in Cambodia, about 800 people may have died of rabies in 2007.”
Rabies is a viral infection which causes nearly always fatal disease in humans and other warm-blooded mammals, said the statement, which was released a day ahead of the World Rabies Day. …
Cambodia has a remarkably large population of dogs. The findings of the Institute Pasteur in Cambodia indicated that there was one dog for approximately every 3 humans, a ratio that is 3 to 4 times higher than that of neighboring countries.
To commemorate World Rabies Day 2013, the WHO, the Health Ministry and the Institute Pasteur in Cambodia have jointly organized a mass vaccination campaign for dogs in Kampong Cham province’s Prey Chhor district on Monday next week. …
Xinhuanet News Staff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2013-09/27/c_132756196.htm
