From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
As the World commemorates this year’s rabies day, Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association (Kaduna Chapter) in collaboration with Coregroup Partners Project on Wednesday took to Kaduna communities to sensitise residents on rabies and announced free fascination of dogs at designated points by the weekend.
Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that affects the central nervous system of mammals and is very fatal with the onset of clinical signs with approximately 59,000 deaths worldwide and 95% of that figure occurs in Africa and Asia continents, Director, Veterinary and Livestock Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Kaduna State, Dr Sam Pakachi said.
Available information revealed that the state vaccinated a total of 6,250 dogs across the 23 local government areas of the state in 2021 which is planning to scale up this year especially as the world moves to address health issues by 2030 in line with this year’s theme: “Rabies: One Health Zero Death”.
Flagging off the exercise earlier, Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Agriculture, Alh Kabir Mainasibi said, the state government was committed to the world’s vision of ending rabies by 2030.
To him, this is a wake-up call for a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary collaboration by joining forces, resources and expertise at all levels, engaging communities and getting the commitment of all stakeholders towards ensuring the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.
Chairman, Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association (Kaduna Chapter), Dr Yila Umaru Lakorok, warned that more people may fall victim if the roaming dogs are not vaccinated as soon as possible.
“The danger of rabies is fatal and there is no remedy. The only remedy is to fascinate dogs, cats and other carnivorous pets that are roaming about.
‘In every community, we have stray dogs which can bite anyone and as someone said earlier that Kaduna has recorded four rabies-related deaths this year alone.
“So, we are encouraging communities that everyone that owns dogs should prepare them for fascination for free at government veterinary centres as we move towards zero death by 2030.
“We have available vaccines in excess and the human resources are beginning to come in. All we need now is the cooperation of all of us especially the dog owners across the length and breadth of the state”, he said.