A vaccine to prevent against canine disease leishmaniasis, which can be fatal for animals and can be transmitted to humans, was launched on May 24. Symptoms of the disease in dogs include fever, hair and weight loss, skin wounds and nail problems.
A spokesman from the Portuguese Veterinarians Association said: “This vaccine is a very important step toward protecting public health, since this is a zoonotic disease and therefore can be transmitted to humans.
“The vaccine will avoid expensive treatments, the suffering of animals and the risk of their owners becoming infected.”
