The Anambra State government through the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has kicked off its 2022 anti-rabies awareness campaign and free vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies to eliminate human death from dog rabies by 2030.
Tribune Online learnt, the free vaccination commencement, which took place at the Veterinary Clinic Amawbia, on Wednesday, will go across the 21 local government areas of the state.
Declaring the event open, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Foster Ihejiofor, said that the campaign is a global commitment to eliminate human death from dog rabies by 2030 in Anambra and beyond.
The Commissioner urged dog owners in the state to bring their dogs and cats for vaccination free of cost.
He further stated that the state Ministry of Agriculture is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to dispense the free vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies across the 181 communities in the state.
Dr Ihejiofor, warned dog owners in the state to monitor their dogs, noting that for any unwarranted dog bites, the owner of the dog will be charged to Court for murder.
In his address, the State Director, Veterinary Services, Dr Ideh Basil said, despite the high fatality, the disease is 100 per cent preventable through Mass Dog Vaccination and enlightenment campaigns as dogs account for 99 per cent of human deaths resulting from rabies.
According to him, before now, the state government had been alone in the fight to eliminate the rabies virus from our environment in spite of the attendant huge cost through its annual vaccination campaign program.
The recent intervention of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by procuring vaccines to support state governments in this fight is a welcome development. So far the state has taken delivery of 3,500 doses, out of a total of 4,100 doses of the vaccine allocated to us for this year’s campaign.
“In all cases of a dog bite, the victim is advised to consult veterinary authority for proper examination and determination of anti-rabies vaccination status of the dog and where necessary make a referral to the health authority for immediate post-exposure prophylaxis, he added.
He announce that the exercise would continue from tomorrow September 28 till October 5th, 2022, in various towns and villages across the state.
The State Chairman of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr Ifeanyi Obiwulu, on his part, encourage dog owners to make their dogs available for free exercise.
He urged the State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, not to relent on his continuous support and keen interest in all Veterinary and livestock activities in Anambra State.
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