News
Media sensitised to rabies prevention
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Dr.-Gbene-in-smock-in-a-group-photograph-with-the-media-practitioners.jpg&description=Media sensitised to rabies prevention', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Dr.-Gbene-in-smock-in-a-group-photograph-with-the-media-practitioners.jpg&description=Media sensitised to rabies prevention', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
Dr. Gbene (in smock) with the media practitioners
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with Breakthrough Action in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service has organised a one day workshop on Rabies prevention, response and control risk communication for media personnel within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
The training was intended to throw more light on the rising cases of rabies, proper risk communication and how the media could help in the dissemination of the right information to the general public.
Addressing the media, the Veterinary Doctor in charge of the Western and Western North regions, Dr. Simon Gbene disclosed that children were more vulnerable to rabid dogs because they liked pets and would always like to play with these pets notwithstanding the disease these dogs were carrying.
He said rabies transmission was through scratches, the saliva or breathing orally in the case of entering a cave inhabited by many bats adding “bats carry rabies like dogs, cats, foxes and other animals.”
He said when someone got a bite from a rabid dog or cat it took four days to two years for the virus to come down depending on the volume and intensity of the virus and bite.
Dr. Gbene said a dog with rabies could bite and destroy about 100 birds within 10 days and the same applied to humans, too, because when the dog fully showed signs of rabies it would become so wild that any living thing that came its way would be bitten.
He said school children normally feared passing through areas where dogs were very common because of the barking or fear of being bitten.
He said the World declared zero rabies bites worldwide from 2018 to 2030 and Ghana had not been able to implement the campaign due to lack of stakeholder funding or sponsorship from foreign donors.
He said zoonotic diseases were diseases which were likely to attack both animals and humans, stressing that rabies was one of the zoonotic diseases, avian influenza also called bird flu, anthrax and sleeping sickness were all zoonotic diseases.
Dr. Gbene advised people even dog owners to desist from disturbing or trying to play with sleeping dogs, dogs taking their meals and those which had just littered because these classes of dogs were very aggressive and could bite their owners at the least provocation.
A representative of the USAID said the media had been earmarked as one of the major partners in the fight against the spread of rabies because they could collaborate with Ghana Health Service to disseminate information to the general public.
She said there was a very low awareness creation about rabies, low risk perception and low vaccination coverage for rabies.
From Peter Gbambila, Sekondi
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has taken note of public allegations of extortion and related conduct made against the Minority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The allegations were made by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi.
In a brief statement, the OSP said it has also received a joint petition submitted by two persons, as well as two separate petitions from other persons, in relation to the same allegations.
“Given the nature of the allegations, the OSP will assess the case and determine whether it falls within its statutory mandate and whether further investigative action is warranted,” the statement said.
The development comes amid a heated public feud between the Minority in Parliament and the leadership of GoldBod over the operations of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
The Minority, led by Afenyo-Markin, has accused GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana of causing a loss of over $1.7 billion, citing the International Monetary Fund’s August 2026 report. The Minority has vowed to pursue the matter as Parliament has reconvened for an emergency sitting.
GoldBod, on the other hand, has rejected claims by some NPP MPs, including Tano South MP Dr Gideon Boako, that it owes the Bank of Ghana GH¢1 billion in overdrafts, describing the claim as “false and malicious.”
In the latest twist, GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi has accused the Minority Leader of extortion and related conduct, an allegation that has triggered petitions to the OSP.
The OSP is mandated under Act 959 to investigate and prosecute specific cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption-related offences involving public officers and politically exposed persons.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
