The Masvingo City Council is considering enlisting the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to address a growing issue with stray dogs, following reports of 87 residents being bitten since the start of the year.
The rise in dog bite incidents has raised fears of a potential rabies outbreak, alarming city officials.
This week, the council discussed a recommendation from the Health, Housing and Environmental Committee to involve the army in controlling the surge of dog bites.
Mayor Councillor Alec Tabe indicated that the recommendation was thoroughly debated but ultimately sent back to the committee for further consideration. Said Tabe (via The Herald):
The matter (of roping army to kill stray dogs) yes was debated but it was felt that it is outside the army’s constitutional mandate to do so and the matter was subsequently sent back to committee without adoption.
The mayor suggested that it would be ideal for the city council to engage the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Masvingo to address the issue.
However, he acknowledged that the SPCA is currently under-resourced for such a task. As a result, the council plans to devise an alternative strategy to effectively manage the stray dog problem.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s Disease Surveillance Report for the week ending October 13, 2024, revealed that there were 604 reported dog bite cases, with no fatalities, during the week under review.
Among these cases, 113 were attributed to vaccinated dogs, 105 to unvaccinated dogs, and 386 involved dogs of unknown vaccination status.
The highest number of dog bite incidents were reported in Mashonaland East Province (114 cases) and Masvingo Province (87 cases).
Overall, the cumulative total for dog bites stands at 22,383 cases, with no reported deaths.
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