FG Reaffirms Commitment to Eliminating Dog Mediated Human Rabies by 2030

Gilbert Ekugbe

The federal government has joined the rest of the world to mark the World rabies day in line with the global initiative to eliminate dog mediated human rabies in the next seven years.

In line with the federal government’s disposition, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Federal Ministry of Environment, at a joint press briefing with the “All for 1-One Health for All,” focused on collaboration and strengthening the overall health systems by ensuring that “One Health” would be adopted by all stakeholders.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said that this year’s World Rabies Day was significant as it marked the 17th anniversary of when countries of the world came together to celebrate, create awareness and promote health to keep the world safe to attain the highest level of health and wellbeing.

Kyari revealed that rabies was the deadliest disease known to man with a fatality rate of almost 100 per cent if adequate prophylaxis was not instituted immediately following an exposure.

He added that it was zoonotic in nature, affecting all warm blooded animals and man and is transmitted through bite of an infected animal.

He stressed that in Nigeria, dogs are responsible for approximately 99 per cent of these exposures, noting that the burden of the disease was not known but it has been reported from every state in Nigeria occurring all year round with devastating outcomes in humans and livestock.

Also speaking, the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed that scientifically, rabies is caused by Lyssavirus that leads to progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, adding that the virus is spread through the saliva of the infected animal by biting or scratching another animal or human being.

Alausa revealed that it was estimated that rabies was responsible for 59,000 agonising human deaths every year with most people living in poor rural communities in Africa and Asia.

In his address, the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, said that reports indicated that most dogs were unlicensed, not vaccinated regularly and roam freely within communities without the owners guide, adding that stray dogs are main sources of the infection.

Salako stressed that these dogs interact with one another with an exposure window for transmission of the virus from an infected dog, especially while competing and struggling for waste food from waste bins and improperly disposed food waste in the municipalities.