Lagos State Government Flags Off Free Anti-rabies Vaccination Campaign

In order to avoid creating a nuisance or danger to the environment, the Lagos State Government has launched a free anti-rabies vaccination campaign.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, disclosed this at the flag-off ceremony of the 2023 free mass anti-rabies campaign themed “Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths” at Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area in Lagos, where she noted that the state government would hold a four-week free anti-rabies vaccination for all pets owners.

Olusanya, who was represented by Mrs Olatokunbo Emokpae, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, explained that vaccination certificates would be issued to pet owners after the exercise.

According to her, the general public should take advantage of this window of free vaccination programme being carried out simultaneously at the state government veterinary hospitals and clinics in all the divisions of the state to vaccinate their pets.

She said this is the third consecutive year of carrying out this laudable programme aimed at achieving the Global Strategy Plan for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies death by the year 2030.

Her words: “The Lagos State Government being piloted under the leadership of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu leaves no one in doubt that we are at the forefront of the global target of eradicating rabies in the 21st century.

“This is so especially with the bill which regulates ownership, licensing, sales of pets as well as prohibiting and restricting people from having in custody dangerous animals in public places.

“Our goal once again is to achieve the global strategy plan on elimination of dogs mediated human rabies death by 2030.

“I am again using this mass campaign programme to urge all animal owners to be deliberate and intentional in keeping all their pets and animals under strict control so that they do not constitute any nuisance or danger to others in the environment.”

Olusanya further noted that rabies was a serious illness, a viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that almost result in death—adding that the virus infects the central nervous system through its spread to people from the saliva of infected animals.

On her part, Mrs Olayinka Akeredolu, the State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Oko-Oba, said the programne was orgainsed in collaboration with the department of Veterinary Services in Lagos Ministry of Agriculture.

Akeredolu urged participants at the programme to propagate that all dogs should be vaccinated against rabies as well as youths in the state not to play with animals they are not familiar with adding they may be unvaccinated and rabies carrier.

She said, “I want to use the opportunity to tell the young ones, especially the youth not to play with any animal they are not familiar with. If you are not familiar with an animal, please, don’t play with it, run away from it. It may be very dangerous. Don’t play with any stray dogs or animals you see on the street because they may be unvaccinated. If you see any stray dog in your community, please report it to the relevant authority, we don’t want our people to die of needless death.”

Also speaking was Dr Emmanuel Adeaga, a Molecular Scientist and Vaccine Researcher, Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonosis in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan (UI), who said that it was worrisome that over 59,000 people die of rabies annually and that countries must work to reduce rabies deaths.

He added that most of the pandemic in the world was caused by animals, adding that people must be involved in happenings in their environment.

He then called for collaborations between government agencies to reduce the deaths adding that even one death is too much.

His words: “People should be interested in what goes on in their environment because the outcome will get to you. Don’t look away; be alert. Community involvement. Everything that is happening in your environment is your problem. The stray dog on the street is your problem, you must be concerned about the status of your neighbors’ dog. Dogs don’t only bite their owners, they bite anybody, So all must be involved. A rabies free world is possible, it begins with me, it begins with you. None is safe until all is safe.” Dr Mark Ofua,

Chairman, Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, Lagos State Chapter, in his presentation, said that the association was proud to work with the government to drive this initiative to eradication of rabies.

Ofua said that the scourge of rabies was not a new phenomenon but one that the whole world was battling to eradicate.

“For people in the animal business, whenever they are transporting animals and they know that the animal is coming from Nigeria or from West Africa, they place a huge question mark.

“But if we come together and do it right, we can lift that scourge from Nigeria, we can lift scourge from Lagos and change the status-quo for us.

“It’s a beautiful thing that the government has taken this initiative, it goes to show that the government is taking community health very important.

“The aim of the programme is to reach the nooks and crannies, all the interior places, wherever a dog is, the rabies vaccine should get there.

“Wherever there is a warm-blooded animal, be it dog, cat, there’s possibilities of rabies. “We love our dogs very well, we interact with our dogs and I for one cannot imagine my life without a dog.

“How do I now protect the dog, protect myself, my children and my family; it is through initiatives like this.

“It is not a matter of choice, it is a must, everyone must vaccinate their pets. We must do all we can, it begins with me, it begins with you,” he said.

Agro Nigeria / Foluke Ibitomi