Gyeonggi-do to Conduct Rabies Vaccinations for Dogs and Cats Until the End of May

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will conduct a mass rabies vaccination campaign targeting dogs (including companion dogs) and cattle in the province until the end of next month.

Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus, showing symptoms such as paralysis and abnormal behavior upon onset, and has a very high fatality rate. It is designated as a Category 2 legal infectious disease for animals and Category 3 for humans.

Since 1993, 277 cases of rabies have occurred in Gyeonggi Province, not only in rural areas such as Yeoncheon and Gapyeong but also in urban areas such as Suwon and Goyang, involving dogs, cattle, cats, and raccoons.

Although no domestic cases of rabies have been reported since 2013, prevention is paramount due to the high fatality rate if infection occurs.

The main transmission sources are wild animals exposed to the virus. Representative animals include raccoons, foxes, badgers, and bats, which infect others through direct contact or bites. Almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans and dogs, can be infected.

The vaccination targets are dogs and other animals aged three months or older raised or kept as pets in the province. Companion dogs must be registered.

In particular, priority vaccination will be conducted for all dogs and cattle raised in high-risk areas for rabies outbreaks, such as counties adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone, past outbreak areas (Hwaseong, Suwon, Pocheon, Paju, Goyang, etc.), and mountainous areas with high chances of contact with wild animals.

In areas where rabies has not yet occurred, vaccinations can be administered by visiting animal hospitals designated by each city and county. In some cities and counties, mobile vaccination services will be provided for towns and townships where visiting animal hospitals is difficult.

The province will also identify areas frequently visited by wild animals such as raccoons and promote the distribution of 'bait vaccines.' This method involves placing vaccines inside food favored by wild animals so that they are naturally vaccinated by consuming it.

For this purpose, the province has prepared 280,000 doses of 'rabies prevention vaccine' and 260,000 doses of 'wildlife bait vaccine' this year.

The mass vaccination campaign for the second half of the year will take place in September and October.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.