The Federal Government has called on dog owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies annually as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
This was made known on Monday by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, during a sensitisation programme to herald the activities lined up for the 2023 World Rabies Day on September 28 under One Health Approach with the theme, ‘All for 1, One Health For All’.
Rabies, a zoonotic disease, can be transmitted to humans through infected dog bites. The symptoms of this deadly disease include fever, headache, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, paralysis and even death.
Rabies can be prevented by vaccinating animals and humans, but when the symptoms manifest, there is no cure.
While speaking tt a roadshow in Abuja to create awareness of the disease, the Director, Veterinary Public Health, Federal Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Samuel Anzaku, told residents to embrace preventive measures against rabies through the annual humans and dogs vaccination.
He called for controlling stray dogs, one of the main sources of rabies transmission to humans.
“We are here on a road walk to sensitise people that they must take preventive measures to vaccinate their dogs annually at veterinary clinics or hospitals. Secondly, to report any case of dog bite in any community, to the appropriate veterinary clinic.
“If you don’t do this, once a human has a dog bite from an infected dog, and there’s no treatment, 100 percent you’re sure the person is going to die if clinical signs have started showing up. So we’re here to tell Nigeria is a disease that is very deadly”, he said.
The World Health Organization recommends that at least 70 per cent of the dog population should be vaccinated to eliminate rabies.
