A six-year-old pupil from Kyeremasu near Wamfie in the Dormaa East District died of rabies at the Wamfie Polyclinic in October.
Dr Saviour Denueme, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Veterinary Officer, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, said the mother of the boy sent him to the polyclinic for treatment of fever.
He stated that two days later, the boy started showing symptoms of rabies because of a dog bite and when the mother tried to get close to him, he bit her hand.
With the help of some neighbours, the boy was sent to back to the polyclinic where he was diagnosed of the disease and thus admitted for treatment.
Dr Denueme added that the boy died after some days while he was receiving treatment, adding that the mother upon interrogations remembered that the son was bitten by a strayed dog some months back but they applied some local herbs on it without sending him to hospital for rabies treatment.
He said the mother is currently receiving treatment.
Dr Denueme urged the public to wash areas of dog bites thoroughly with running water and apply mentholated spirit if available before quickly sending victims to the nearest health facility for rabies treatment.
He said any dog bite case has to be reported to a veterinary service station for the dog to be quarantined and studied within seven days to ascertain if it would show some symptoms of the disease.
Dr Denueme pointed out a dog that has rabies would die seven days after biting or demonstrate signs of rabies within that time.
GNA