Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein said his ministry is taking steps to address the rabies outbreak in Barrackpore.

Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday in response to a question from Senator Dr Maria Dillon-Remy about the recent deaths owing to rabies in Barrackpore, Hosein said there has always been bat-transmitted rabies in Trinidad and Tobago.

“As of recently, there has been an increased number of bats in the southern region, which has a direct correlation to the current outbreak. The Ministry of Agriculture, Land, and Fisheries has a routine rabies vaccination programme, and an ongoing vampire bat control programme. The policy for rabies vaccination in animals is an ongoing programme, concentrating right now on the southern region and they have a programme in place to deal with it as it comes up.”

Hosein said the ministry is currently taking steps to deal with the specific reports from Barrackpore.

“These include vaccination of animals for rabies in Barrackpore and surrounding areas to assist those currently impacted and those who may potentially be infected; sensitisation to farmers on how to prevent the spread is ongoing; working with the health ministry to ensure farmers or neighbouring residents who are at risk are vaccinated, stepped-up human health sensitisation in collaboration with the health ministry.”

He said the ministry is also currently investigating more effective measures of vampire-bat control including strengthening of the staff component and working arrangements for the anti-rabies unit for effective response.

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