Rabies kills over 55,000 annually

This was disclosed by Dr Abdulganiyyu Abubakar, Director, Veterinary Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development during the World Rabies Day campaign held Monday in Abuja. The director who was represented by Dr. Egejuru Eze of Veterinary Public Health department of the ministry, said about 40% of the cases occur in children […]

This was disclosed by Dr Abdulganiyyu Abubakar, Director, Veterinary Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development during the World Rabies Day campaign held Monday in Abuja. The director who was represented by Dr. Egejuru Eze of Veterinary Public Health department of the ministry, said about 40% of the cases occur in children under the age of 15 due to their close association with pets.
“More than 95% of the infection occurs in poor countries of Africa and Asia. The mortality rate, once the symptoms appear is about 99%,” he said.
He announced that the federal Ministry of Agriculture will in the next two weeks conduct free vaccination of animals, particularly dogs, nationwide to curtail the disease.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, who was represented by Sony Adeniyi, said people who are infected by the disease will receive free medical treatment nationwide.
He asked people with domestic animals to vaccinate them regularly to avoid contact with the disease. He however, lamented the practice where people killed and ate infected animals instead of treating them, adding that was responsible for the epidemic in some states of the federation.
Rabies can affect domestic animals such as cats, dogs among other warm blooded animals, and man. It is usually transmitted through the saliva following the bite of a rabid dog or other animal to man.
“Once the symptoms appear after bite, there is usually no cure, so prevention is better than cure. Vaccinate your dogs, cats and other pets regularly,” Dr Adeyemo Bolade of the Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, Abuja chapter, advised.