Street dogs menace jeopardizing residents’ lives
By WANJALA B. DANSON
A dog is celebrated to the first animal to have friendship with human beings. They are the first animal to be domesticated by man due their acquaintance relationship with mankind. However, the number of street dogs has increased in Dagoratii North is posing a danger to the health and security of residents in the area.
The increase in population of street dogs is at an alarming rate which is endangering residents’ heath. Street dogs are causing irritating noise which people living in the area, special children who fear playing outside their houses due a big number of street dogs hovering in the area.
James Oloo is resident of Dagoratii North and a parent of three. “Street dogs are everywhere here. Walking in houses and linking everything they found in there. They endanger your lives,” he asserted.
Many of street dogs in the area are found in garbage collection places. They scraping and spreading garbage all over those areas in search of food. In such a way, street dogs are area contributing to lowing cleanness standards in the area carrying food like waste to other places.
According to information of Westlands’ Health department, when dog bites a human being, its body fluid contained in the saliva is dangerous to human beings. The situation is exacerbated if the particular dog involved in the biting has not been vaccinated.
Many people living in Dagoratii North are at the risk of getting zoonotic diseases which are diseases spread from animals to human beings. Such diseases which are dog related are spread directly from dog while other comes from environment where dog social gathering with human beings take place. One of such diseases is cryptospordias, a parasitic disease which is caused by in dog spread though fecal-oral route by contaminated stool i.e. swimming in or drinking contaminated water with parasites presence.
In additional, dog carry internal parasite called Cohinococeesis which is a species of tapeworms. These warn are passed to human being when dogs’ remains mix up with food or water which is used by people. Furthermore, dog which are not sprayed regularly with parasite contained external parasites which hide under their fur. Some parasites found on dogs are fleas, ticks, and cheyleticilla mites which causes plague ticks borne diseases like ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.
Dogs may also spread fungal diseases like histplasmosis if inhalation of fungi spro.
Some street dogs are known to dog attacks residents in the area causing serious injuries to them. However, the situation has not yet apprehended due to the tendency of concern authorities turning a blind eye on people who live in urban informal settlements.