Thirteen cities and provinces in Thailand have issued a rabies alert after the disease was spotted in many places and claimed at least the lives of three people within the past two months.

Dogs detained a quarantine centre. (Source: nationmultimedia.com)

According to the animal breeding development department of the Ministry of Agriculture, the localities include Surin, Chon Buri, Sumut Prakan, Chachoengsao, Nan, Buri Ram, Ubon Ratchathaini, Chiang Rai, Rot Et, Songkhla, Rayong, Tak and Sri Sa Ket.

The disease is likely to spread in 42 other cities and provinces and the situation would likely become complicated as summer is approaching.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) reported that at least three people died of rabies so far this year.

In the reviewed period, the number of animal deaths of rabies rose 1.5 times compared with the figure of the whole 2017, of which dogs accounted for the majority, followed by cats and cows.

The uncontrolled rabies situation was blamed for breeders of animals, who did not follow required vaccination procedures.  Besides, dogs and cats have yet been kept in houses so they were easily in contact with infected animals.

Rabies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals. Globally, dogs are the most common animal involved.  Rabies is present in over 150 countries.

(Source: VNA)