DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said Wednesday they have planned to vaccinate 60,000 dogs against rabies across the country in one week as part of activities to mark the World Rabies Day, which falls on Wednesday.
Mashimba Ndaki, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, said the ministry has distributed 60,000 free vaccines against rabies to dog owners in different parts of the country.
"Our veterinary officers are vaccinating dogs against rabies across the country at this moment," said Ndaki in the capital Dodoma, adding that the vaccination of the 60,000 dogs against rabies was planned to be undertaken between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2.
Apart from the distribution of the 60,000 free dogs' vaccines against rabies by the ministry, he said, vaccination of dogs against the deadly disease is mandatory.
Ndaki said the 2019 National Rabies Control Strategy has put in place measures aimed at eliminating rabies in Tanzania by 2030 as envisioned by the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health.
Ndaki said rabies is responsible for an estimated 1,500 deaths annually in Tanzania. ■