They launched a campaign to vaccinate more than 800,000 dogs against rabies in Nicaragua. Why is this vaccine important?

The health authorities started the national canine vaccination campaign on Monday to fight rabies, in which they will plan 862,066 doses in different regions of the country, the official media said.

The official media also said that 574,066 doses of rabies vaccines will be given in Chinandega, Boaco, Siuna and the southern Caribbean coast. In addition, 288 thousand doses will be given in Managua.

Rabies is a serious viral disease that affects the central nervous system of dogs and other mammals, including humans.

According to Raúl Úbeda, director of Public Health Research of Managua, the campaign will run from August 12 to September 12.

“We are going to visit from house to house, vaccination will also be enabled in each health center to dose pets three months old and older,” according to official media.

The promotion occurs in the context of a significant increase in rabies cases in the past three years, according to the Ministry of Health (Minsa). In 2023, 8,968 cases were reported, that is, 12,00 more cases than in 2022, according to official figures. In this way, between 2019 and 2023 the Minsa reported 39,980 cases of rabies in Nicaragua.

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According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the disease is present on every continent and affects more than 150 countries. Worldwide, the disease is responsible for nearly 60,000 human deaths each year and in most human cases, the dog is responsible for the transmission.

Why is vaccination important to fight rabies?

World Organization for Animal Health (WHO/OIE) identify that the mortality rate of rabies in humans and animals is close to 100%, representing a global threat that kills approximately 59,000 people each year. This organization hopes to eliminate dog-borne rabies by 2030.

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The OIE highlights that dog vaccination has contributed to the eradication of rabies, which is a major economic and public health burden in several countries around the world.

There are three levels of rage. In the first stage (prodomal) behavioral changes in the dog, fever, unusual bark and pupils are recorded. In the wild phase, aggression, hypersensitivity, disorder and seizures are recorded. Finally, in the paralysis phase, there will be muscle paralysis, difficulty swallowing, coma and death.