Tuesday, September 30, 2025 - The Federal Government flagged-off the 2025 National Mass Anti-Rabies Vaccination Campaign.
The event, which began at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, was
part of the activities to commemorate World Rabies Day.
Top government officials, development partner
representatives, pet and hunting dog owners were present to celebrate and
vaccinate their pets.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha in
his keynote speech stated that this year’s theme, “You, Me, and the Community,”
highlights the need for everyone to share responsibilities in order to
eradicate rabies in Nigeria.
In 2022, rabies was listed as one of the seven zoonoses that
the One Health Ministries (Livestock Development, Health and Social Welfare,
and Environment) collaborated on.
He praised the cooperation of state veterinary services,
private veterinarians, researchers, academia, development partners, and
community leaders for their strong support.
“Rabies elimination cannot be achieved by government efforts
alone. It requires the active involvement of every citizen – policy makers,
veterinarians, dog owners, hunters, teachers, parents, and indeed all members
of the community,” the Minister said.
According to Maiha, thousands of rabies deaths are reported
annually in Africa and Asia, which have the highest rabies burdens worldwide.
He pointed out that children under the age of 15 make up the majority of the
victims, a fact that makes this completely preventable illness a recurrent
tragedy for families and communities.
The Minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s strong
commitment to reaching the worldwide goal of having no human fatalities from
dog-mediated rabies by 2030, working with partners and stakeholders.
Maiha announced that 26,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccines
would be purchased and distributed right away, particularly to the eight states
with the highest number of rabies cases reported in the last six months: Lagos,
Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Cross River, Kano, Osun, and the Federal Capital
Territory.
In addition, he said, vaccines would be sent to three
Federal Colleges of Animal Health and Production Technology and eleven
Veterinary Teaching Hospitals nationwide. The Ministry will also be using
technology to track all immunised dogs and cats in real time.
The Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr. Muhammed Inuwa,
represented by the Director and Head of Public Health and Epidemiology, Dr.
Samuel Anzaku, in his welcome address, expressed optimism that the flag-off
would translate into action.
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