MARTIN MAWAYA
HARARE-The Zimbabwean government has unveiled a comprehensive strategic plan to eliminate the longstanding public health threat of dog-mediated human rabies.
The strategic plan comes against the backdrop of recent incidents, including a Harare man who was mauled by a pit bull and a school boy who narrowly survived a dog bite on Monday.
Statistics from the Gweru city council show that 64 dog bite cases have been recorded since January, with 19 from vaccinated, 14 unvaccinated, and 31 of unknown status.
Parliament has also raised concerns, with Senator Tambudzai Kunaka highlighting the growing presence of pit bull dogs and the serious threat they pose to human life.
“We have a current incident of a man who was mauled to death by a pit bull dog, not only that but several others across the nation, and this has brought national attention to the gaps on how the country regulates the keeping of such aggressive dogs,” she said.
Kunaka added that Zimbabwe lacks a unified Dog Act that specifically addresses the challenges posed by these dogs, and the current legal provisions are scattered, fragmented, and outdated.
“The laws must not punish after loss but protect before harm,” she emphasized, calling for a total ban on pit bull dogs.
Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Jairos Muchakwa, acknowledged that rabies remain one of the oldest yet most neglected zoonotic diseases, adding that it is “100% preventable, and yet, tragically, still claims the lives of thousands of people across the world each year, with the majority of cases occurring in Africa and Asia.”
The strategic plan, developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), outlines a multisectoral approach to tackling the challenge.
It aims to strengthen surveillance and reporting systems, scale up mass dog vaccination campaigns, enhance access to post-exposure prophylaxis, promote community awareness, and strengthen intersect oral collaboration and resource mobilization.
“This plan is a comprehensive, multisectoral roadmap that embraces the One Health approach—recognizing that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and the environment,” Muchakwa explained.
The stakeholder workshop, which brought together representatives from various government agencies, international organizations, and community groups, is an essential step in validating and adopting the strategic plan.
“This plan can only be effective if we, as stakeholders, commit to walking this journey together,” Muchakwa said.
