FG targets 2030 to end rabies, seeks mass dog vaccination

..... Calls for stronger collaboration among the human, animal and environmental health sectors to improve surveillance and access to post-exposure prophylaxis for people exposed to the deadly disease.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating rabies in Nigeria by 2030, urging states, local governments and other stakeholders to intensify mass dog vaccination and public awareness campaigns.

The government also called for stronger collaboration among the human, animal and environmental health sectors to improve surveillance and access to post-exposure prophylaxis for people exposed to the deadly disease.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the 2026 World Rabies Day Symposium, organised to commemorate the theme, “Stronger Together.”

Akujobi, who chaired the occasion, said the commemoration was an opportunity to draw attention to the continuing public health threat posed by rabies, remember victims of the disease and renew efforts to prevent avoidable deaths.

She described rabies as one of the world’s most devastating but preventable zoonotic diseases, noting that once clinical symptoms appear, the disease is virtually 100 per cent fatal.

The permanent secretary, however, said deaths from rabies could be prevented through responsible animal ownership, vaccination, timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis and effective disease surveillance.

According to her, dogs account for more than 99 per cent of human rabies deaths globally, making mass vaccination of dogs a critical intervention in protecting human lives and achieving the country’s elimination target.

She said the Ministry was strengthening veterinary service delivery, disease surveillance and reporting, laboratory capacity and other public health interventions aimed at controlling and ultimately eliminating rabies.

Akujobi urged state governments, local government authorities, veterinary and human health professionals, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, communities and dog owners to actively participate in annual mass dog vaccination campaigns.

She disclosed that the ministry procured 26,000 doses of rabies vaccines in the previous year and was working towards procuring additional doses.

She stressed the need for a coordinated national vaccination plan with clear targets and measurable outcomes to achieve the 2030 elimination goal.

Also speaking, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Anzaku, said the ministry had received strong political support in its efforts to combat rabies.

Anzaku said eliminating the disease would require a coordinated One Health approach involving the veterinary, human health and environmental sectors.

He identified inadequate vaccination coverage, limited access to post-exposure prophylaxis, weak surveillance systems and inadequate sustainable financing as major challenges confronting rabies control in the country.

He, however, said the challenges presented opportunities for innovative, evidence-based and collaborative interventions, assuring that his office remained committed to providing the technical leadership and coordination needed to achieve rabies elimination by 2030.

Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, Core Group Partners Project, Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, World Health Organisation, War Against Rabies Foundation, Small Animal Veterinary Association of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Environment, FCT Administration and Kick Out Rabies Development Initiative, among others, pledged continued support for the campaign.

The stakeholders called for stronger inter-sectoral coordination, improved access to post-exposure prophylaxis, sustained community sensitisation, responsible dog ownership, stronger surveillance and continuous mass vaccination of dogs.

The WHO representative particularly stressed the need to protect children, who constitute a significant proportion of people affected by rabies, while advocating equitable access to post-exposure prophylaxis and greater public awareness of dog vaccination schedules.

The Core Group Partners Project also pledged to support community-based awareness, surveillance, reporting and demand creation for rabies vaccination at the grassroots.

The symposium ended with stakeholders renewing their commitment to working “Stronger Together” towards achieving a rabies-free Nigeria by 2030.