Minister of Agriculture launches nation-wide anti-rabies vaccination campaign in Gombe

By Sani Adamu, Gombe

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, has flagged off  nationwide anti-rabies vaccination exercise in Dukku Local Government Area of Gombe State.

Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday, the minister explained that the exercise was part of activities to commemorate the 2020 World Rabies Day, organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and states ministries of Agriculture in collaboration with USAID Breakthrough Action Nigeria.

Shehuri said rabies remains a global threat, pointing out that it is responsible for the death of approximately 59, 000 people in the world every year.

“In Nigeria, rabies is responsible for the death of large number of persons annually,” he said.

“Most of these deaths occur amongst the rural dwellers. 

“Generally, ignorance, poverty and lack of access to timely medical care largely contribute to the spread and impact of the disease in the country “

Shehuri added that the theme of this year’s commemoration is  tagged “One Health Zero” and the target is to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies globally by the year 2030.

He therefore advised those who own dogs to bring them for vaccination so that the disease would not catch them and spread to other people.

Also speaking, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Maimuna Abdullahi Habib, said they have developed national strategic plan for the control of rabies in Nigeria.

Habib said the document outlines the strategies to be adopted in the prevention, control and eventual elimination of the rabies in the country.

Our correspondent reports that rabies had killed four people in Dukku where the vaccination was launched as a result of dog bites.