Bo – Bombali District has recorded a sharp rise in dog-bite cases, with figures moving from 383 cases in 2025 to 469 cases in 2026 within the same reporting period.
The worrying statistics were disclosed on Monday, 28th September, during the national commemoration of World Rabies Day 2026 at the De Wizzard Conference Hall in Bo.
Presenting the district surveillance report, Assistant Director of Livestock and ISAVET National Coordinator, Salam Saidu, said Bombali recorded 469 dog bites from Epidemiological Week 1 to Week 38 of 2026, compared to 383 cases during the same period last year.
He also revealed that the district recorded 12 suspected rabies-related deaths between January and August 2026, describing the situation as alarming.
Saidu warned that gaps in timely and reliable data and weak coordination between animal and human health sectors are undermining the fight against rabies.
Reacting to the figures, Deputy Minister II of Agriculture and Food Security, Ing. Bryan Smart-Kanu, said Government is determined to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
He told the gathering that rabies is 99.9 percent fatal once symptoms show, but 100 percent preventable through vaccination and early treatment.
“Government will continue to lead mass dog vaccination, strengthen veterinary services and improve surveillance, but we cannot do it alone,” Smart-Kanu said.
He called on dog and cat owners to vaccinate their animals and urged anyone bitten to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and seek immediate medical care.
Director of Livestock and Veterinary Services, Saidu Bamayange, linked the rising risk to environmental factors, noting that deforestation and encroachment into wildlife habitats are increasing contact between humans, domestic animals and wildlife.
The event, held under the theme “Stronger Together”, brought together officials from the Ministry of Health through the National Public Health Agency, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, PSI, school pupils and community members.
The Ministry says with Bombali’s cases jumping by 86 in one year, communities must now treat every animal bite as an emergency and report promptly, if Sierra Leone is to meet the 2030 zero-death target.
