Adviser urges mass awareness on rabies

City Desk :

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter on Saturday called for enhancing mass awareness about rabies to prevent the disease.

“We need not to be panicked regarding rabies rather we have to take preventive measures and create mass awareness about the disease,” she said.

The adviser was addressing a seminar organized by the Directorate of Livestock at Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) here marking the ‘World Rabies Day-25’, reports BSS.
The adviser stressed on creating mass awareness on different issues like mass dog vaccination programme, shelter and rescue centre and the Animal Welfare Act-2019. She, however, urged all concerned to change the mentality towards dogs and to be kind to the animal.

With Director General of the Livestock Directorate DrMd Abu Sufian in the chair, Director (Admin) of the Directorate DrMdBoyzar Rahman delivered the address of welcome at the seminar where another Director of the office DrMdShahinurAlam presented the key note speech.

DrShahinurAlam, in his key note speech, revealed that the disease spread over 150 countries in the world while the yearly mortality rate of rabbies is estatted about 59,000. Besides, the yearly loss due to this disease (in terms of money) across the world are about 8.6 Billion US dollars, he added.

In his speech, DrMd Abu Sufian said that we have to keep the health of dog good for the sake of the health of human being. He also urged all concerned to expedite research work on rabies and to be kind to the animals.

Director General (DG) of the Health Directorate DrMd Abu Zafar, DG BARC DrSakilaFaruk, Director of the ICDDR’B Prof DrTahminaShirin and ACI Agri Business Division President Dr F H Ansari were present at the seminar as special guests.

Founder of Sanctuary Bangladesh Animal Welfare Society Rubaiya Ahmed, founder Chairman of ‘People for Animal Welfare Foundation Architect RakibulHaque Emil and Director of Central Veterinary Hospital DrMd Aziz Al Mamun took part in the discussion.

Earlier, a colourful procession was brought out in the capital by the Livestock Directorate with a slogan- “Work unitedly to eliminate rabies’.