Bolgatanga, Nov 5, GNA - Five people out of the 10 who were infected with rabies died at health institutions in the Upper East Region within the past two months.

The 10 people were all bitten by dogs and were sent to the hospitals after they had started showing signs and symptoms of the disease which include, fever, headache, barking and the general behaviour of an aggressive dog.

Briefing stakeholders at a meeting on the Integrated Maternal and Child Health Campaign (IMCH), Mr. Eric Osei, Disease Control Officer, Bolgatanga Municipal Health Directorate, said the situation had so alarmed the Health Directorate that it had included the counting of dogs and cats in the Immunization exercise that is to start on November 12 and end on November 14.

The numbers would then be given to the Veterinary Services Department so that it would make its plans to immunize the animals against rabies that would in turn prevent humans from getting infected.

The IMCH Campaign which is on the theme, "Healthier Mothers and Children Make a Better Ghana", is aimed at immunizing 30,171 children below five years against polio and other childhood diseases. Vitamin A would also be given to the children and lactating mothers of children bellow eight weeks. Older Children in school would be de-wormed. Women would be educated before and during the exercise period on the need to have their children immunized, delivering under the supervision of a trained person and other reproductive health issues that would help them improve upon their health and reduce maternal mortality. Ms. Joyce K. Bagina, Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Health Service, said their plans were to reach every child under five years with all the interventions so as to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

She said persistent immunization had almost eradicated measles in the country and reduced child mortality from 155 per 1,000 live births in 1985 to 80 per 1,000, live births in 2008. The Municipal Health Directorate has trained 344 volunteers and 54 supervisors to go from house to house to carry out the exercise while public service vans move around the communities to educate the people on various health issues.