The Ghana Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA) has called for the re-introduction of the free anti-rabies vaccination in the country. It said this would help reduce the incidence of animal and human rabies. Dr. Osei Agyemang Bonsu, president of the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association, stated this at a seminar in Accra on Wednesday to mark the 5th World rabies Day on the theme: “Stand united to end Rabies in Ghana.” He said that in the past when Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture carried out the free vaccination exercise, there was a reduction of about 80 per cent in the incidence of the disease. Dr. Bonsu indicated that when there was a national vaccination campaign in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in 1990, only seven outbreaks of cases were reported as compared to 40 outbreaks in 1991 when there was no immunisation. “It is worrying to see a person die from rabies as a result of an exposure from a rabid dog considering that, the disease .is vaccine preventable,” he added. He expressed concern about the number of stray dogs in the communities, emphasising that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies should be adequately resourced to impound and destroy stray animals. Dr. Bonsu called for a study on the socio-economic impact of rabies to be carried out to help inform political leaders on the public health significance of the disease so that they could commit funds for the execution of anti-rabies immunisation programmes. He advised the public to report all dog bite cases to the nearest medical facility for quality health care and also acquire adequate and reliable data. The Country Director for Alliance for Rabies Control, Dr. Bashiru Boi Kikimoto, called on stakeholders to come together to eradicate the disease. He stressed the need for public health education to be intensified to ensure that the disease was prevented in the country.