Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), have launched a mass dog vaccination campaign in Plateau State, aims at controlling and eradicating rabies, a deadly disease that affects both humans and animals.
BusinessDay gathers that the launch at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Jos coincides with the World Rabies Day, observed globally on September 28th to raise awareness about rabies prevention, recognising progress made so far in defeating the disease.
This year’s theme, “Breaking Rabies Boundaries,” emphasises the importance of expanding efforts to control and eradicate rabies through increased vaccination and public awareness initiatives.
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Shase-et Sipat Dawat, Director and Chief Veterinary Officer of Plateau State, in his speech, underscored the critical importance of rabies prevention in the State, the North-Central State, which has one of the highest incidences of rabies cases in both humans and animals, emphasising that rabies is nearly 100% fatal once clinical symptoms appear, but it is almost entirely preventable through vaccination.
“The mass dog vaccination campaign is a key step towards the global target of eradicating rabies by 2030”, he noted.
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Dawat expressed appreciation to FAO for its support and collaboration, recognising the honor of Plateau State being one of the only two states chosen for this year’s campaign.
Stephen Dawoh, while representing the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, reiterated the importance of collaborative action to combating rabies, stating that rabies does not recognise boundaries and remains a serious public health threat, but with continued efforts like the mass dog vaccination campaign, progress can be made towards a rabies-free Nigeria by 2030.
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L.H. Lombin, Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Jos, emphasised the importance of annual dog vaccinations, noting that the disease could be entirely prevented if dog owners take advantage of the free vaccination campaigns. She stressed that vaccinating dogs stop the infection from spreading to humans, calling for concerted efforts to break the barriers hindering rabies prevention.
Free anti-rabies vaccines were administered on dogs at the event, which was attended by various stakeholders, including veterinary personnel, animal health technologists, dog owners as well as the representatives from Hunters’ Associations, marking a significant step in controlling the disease in Plateau State.
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