Close to 600 cases of dogs attacking people were reported in the central Mozambican province of Tete during the first six months of 2018. That is a 60% increase compared the same period last year.

Dog bites can be lethal as many people in Mozambique are not vaccinated against rabies. Victims are often children.

Stray dogs are now being rounded up and killed to prevent more cases, a senior health official for Tete province told daily newspaper Noticias.

Dr Alex Bertil also said that while two people had died in the region last year after being bitten by dogs, no such deaths had been recorded there in 2018 year.

All district health units in the province have now been equipped with anti-rabies vaccines, he is quoted by the news outlet as saying.

To prevent contracting the disease in a rabies-risk area, medical doctors advise taking these three steps:

Immediately clean the wound with running water and soap for several minutes

Disinfect the wound with an alcohol- or iodine-based disinfectant and apply a simple dressing, if possible

Go to the nearest medical centre, hospital or clinic as soon as possible and explain that you've been bitten or scratched.