By Virginia Njovo
A surge in dog bites has sent shockwaves through Masvingo with 66 reported cases in just one week sparking concerns about spread of disease like rabies with the province being among the top since January this year.
Masvingo records cumulative of 66 cases of dog bites in one week as reported by the Ministry of Health and Childcare (MoHCC) Weekly Disease Surveillance Report of weekending of 1 June 2025.
Masvingo Province is just two cases below Mashonaland West which recorded 68 cases in the same week.
“The highest numbers of dog bite cases reported this week were from Masvingo Mashonaland West Province with 68 cases and Masvingo with 66.The cumulative figures for dog bites are 13 956 and 0 deaths,” reads part of the report.
Report of Weekending 25 May 2025 showed that Masvingo recorded 78 cases following Manicaland with 88 cases.
“The highest number of dog bites cases reported this week were from Manicaland with 88, Masvingo 78 and Midlands 78 also,” reads the report.
In the report of weekending 18 May 2025 Masvingo had highest number of dog bites cases as 78 cases recorded.
Weekly Disease Surveillance Report of weekending 5 January Masvingo recorded over 100 cases of dog bites.
“The highest number of dog bites cases this week were from Masvingo Province with 136 and Mashonaland East Province with 112,” reads the report.
Speaking with TellZim News Masvingo United and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) Director Anoziva Muguti said stray dogs in Masvingo remain a threat to public health as dog bites continue to escalate instead of decreasing; this exposes residents to rabbis as well as life threatening encounters.
“I am deeply concerned about the high number of dog bites in Masvingo as highlighted in that report .To Protect public health I urge local authorities to take immediate action to deal with stray dogs effectively and ensure all dogs are vaccinated against rabies, enforcing vaccination protocols,” said Muguti.
Muguti also urged residents to play their part by reporting stray dogs.
“Residents should also play their part by reporting stray dogs and suspicious animal behaviour to local authorities and seeking medical attention immediately if bitten or exposed to potentially rabid animals.
“Collaboration between authorities, residents and animal owners is crucial to address this public health issue and prevent rabies transmission,” added Muguti.
Masvingo City Mayor referred questions to City of Masvingo Director of Health and Enviromental Services Suzanne Madamombe saying the issue was technical.
Efforts to reach Madamombe were fruitless as she did not pick up her cell and did not respond to questions send to her on WhatsApp.
