BANGKOK, 10 August 2015 – The Department of Livestock has disclosed that up to 60 percent of stray dogs in Thailand live with rabies.
The department said the growing population of stray dogs has caused a number of issues including waste, noise pollution, traffic accidents and diseases. Over 90 percent of dogs in Thailand have rabies, 60 percent of which are stray dogs.
According to the latest survey, Thailand has around 8.5 million dogs, seven million of which are stray dogs. Around 3.4 million stray dogs are born each year.
The department stressed the difficulty of vaccinating stray dogs against rabies and the ineffectiveness of temporary solutions which include sterilization and dog shelters.
Members of the public are urged to exercise caution when they are around stray dogs as currently there is still no cure for rabies and the mortality rate is almost 100%. Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the nervous system in both humans and animals and can spread very rapidly, resulting in death.
