{"id":123263,"date":"2025-10-24T11:48:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T10:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=123263"},"modified":"2025-10-24T11:48:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T10:48:01","slug":"fg-flags-off-nationwide-vaccination-against-rabies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/fg-flags-off-nationwide-vaccination-against-rabies\/","title":{"rendered":"FG Flags Off Nationwide Vaccination Against Rabies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Daniel Adaji<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe Federal Government has intensified its drive to eradicate rabies in Nigeria with the flag-off of a Nationwide Rabies Vaccination Campaign led by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha.<\/div>\n
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\u200eAs part of the nationwide exercise, vaccination teams have been deployed to eight high-risk states \u2014 Bauchi, Cross River, FCT, Gombe, Kano, Lagos, Osun, and Plateau \u2014 to strengthen preventive measures and support the global goal of eliminating rabies by 2030.<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON), Dr. Samuel Anzaku on Thursday, led the Ministry\u2019s delegation to Plateau State, one of the regions with the highest reported cases of rabies. The official flag-off event took place in Bassa Local Government Area, which currently records the state\u2019s highest number of infections.<\/div>\n
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\u200eIn his address, Anzaku reaffirmed the federal government\u2019s determination to stamp out rabies across the country. He urged state governments, veterinary institutions, and communities to sustain collaborative efforts, stressing that rabies prevention requires collective action.<\/div>\n
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\u200e\u201cThe theme of this year\u2019s commemoration, you, me, and community, reminds us that rabies elimination cannot be achieved by government efforts alone. It is a shared responsibility and collective investment in the health and safety of our communities,\u201d the CVON stated.<\/div>\n
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\u200eHe revealed that under the One Health framework, the Ministry has procured 26,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccines for deployment across the eight states. Plateau State received 3,000 doses, while an additional 1,200 doses were allocated to the University of Jos Veterinary Teaching Hospital to bolster vaccination and surveillance efforts.<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe Plateau State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Dr. Sunday Akpa, and Bassa LGA Chairman, Dr. Joshua Sunday Riti, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and pledged full cooperation to ensure the sustainability of the rabies control campaign.<\/div>\n
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\u200eRepresenting the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos, the Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Prof. Lami Hannatu Lombin, revealed that Bassa Local Government Area alone had recorded 25 cases of rabies in 2025, resulting in 12 confirmed deaths, including a family of three who recently died after dog bites.<\/div>\n
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\u200eShe described the fatalities as \u201cdeeply tragic,\u201d stressing the urgent need for intensified vaccination and public enlightenment to curb the spread of the disease. Prof. Lombin commended the Ministry for its timely intervention and assured that the vaccines would be judiciously administered to strengthen the state\u2019s rabies prevention drive.<\/div>\n
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\u200eAmong dignitaries at the event were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Livestock Matters, Dr. Markus Avory; the Executive Assistant to the Governor, Efficiency Unit, Hon. Gideon Agaldo; the Executive Director of the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Dr. Nicholas Nwankpa; the Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (Plateau State), Dr. Kumtap Yilji Cashmir; and the Chairman, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) Plateau State, Dr. Pam Luka. Traditional rulers and community leaders also pledged their support for the campaign.<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe delegation later inspected one of the six cold room facilities donated by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) for vaccine storage in Plateau State.<\/div>\n
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\u200eRabies remains a major public health threat in Nigeria, with an estimated 55,000 deaths recorded annually worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).<\/div>\n
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\u200eIn Nigeria, dog-mediated rabies accounts for more than 95 per cent of human cases, largely due to inadequate vaccination of domestic animals, poor awareness, and limited access to post-exposure treatment.<\/div>\n
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\u200eStudies by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) show that rabies is endemic in all 36 states, with higher prevalence in rural areas where dog vaccination coverage is low. The One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, is central to Nigeria\u2019s rabies control strategy.<\/div>\n
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