The
Federal Ministry of Health, on Thursday distributed 1,812 anti rabies vaccines
to nine accredited faculties and colleges of veterinary medicine in the
country.
Mrs
Ifeoma Anagbogu, Director, Neglected Tropical Disease in the ministry, who
distributed the vaccines in Abuja, said the Federal Government was committed to
the fight against the disease.
The
director said the released of the free vaccines to beneficiary institutions was
as a result of request by the Veterinary Council of Nigeria to ensure that all
clinical veterinary students are vaccinated against the disease.
“We
did not hesitate to make the vaccines available because the veterinarians are
always at the forefront of the prevention and control of the virus.
“Although,
the disease has not been reported in Africa countries but the World Health
Organisation (WHO) has recently given a red alert on the disease
“That
is why everybody in my department is on standby. The challenge we have now is
that, we do not have a specific numbers of Nigerians that has died of the
disease, “she said.
She
lamented that some people go as far as sleeping with these animals in the same
bed, saying “it is dangerous, stop being ignorant of the disease.”
“Every
case of dog bite should henceforth be reported to the nearest hospital or
relevant authorities for quick action
“If
at all you must keep these animals for whatsoever reason, you must ensure that
they are properly taken care of and up to date on their vaccine.
“Development
Partners have showed interest in working with us towards eradicating the
disease through creating more awareness to Nigerians, ” she added.
She,
however, appealed to the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Nigerian Veterinary
Medical Association to work closely with the ministry by following every rumour
and make sure they are dealt with accordingly.
Speaking
with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) she said that rabies is a viral disease that
causes acute inflammation of the brain in human.
Anagbogu
added that domestic animals such as dogs, cats, cattle and bats transfer the
virus to human through bites and scratches.
“The
bite of animal infected with the virus is the most common cause of rabies.
“The
virus is carried in the saliva of the rabid animal and one can be affected by
the virus through open wound on the skin.
“Domestic
animal can become rabid if bitten. So the best thing is to avoid body contact
with these animals,” Anagbogu said. (NAN)
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