The Ministry of Health yesterday offered free treatment for dog bite victims in all Federal Institutions including Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical centres in Nigeria.

The minister of Health, Professor Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu who made this known during the World Rabies Day Celebration 2014 added that the ministry has positioned anti-rabies vaccines in 10 states of acute need across the six Geographical Zones in Nigeria.

The minister who was represented by the permanent secretary Linus Awute added that the remaining states will receive their allocation before the end of the year.

Rabies is a Zoonotic viral disease of mammals, most often transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected animal. It manifests as an acute meningo-encephalitis that inevitably results in death. 

Mrs Annie Adeniyi, deputy director, Zoonosis in the ministry of health, said that rabies is a dangerous disease grouped along with other highly pathogenic zoonotic diseases like Lassa, Ebola, and Dengue etc. because of the violent way it kills its victims.

According to her, rabies is widely distributed across the globe, many continents and some countries have controlled and reduced the menace and some have relatively completely eliminated the disease. 

“Despite this, evidence abounds that this disease is said to take 55,000-70,000 lives yearly world wide and 44% of these victims were recorded from Africa and Asia,” she said.

“Anyone who works with animals can use the pre-exposure vaccination and those who are dog bitten can also receive the post exposure vaccination from federal government hospitals. 

“The anti-rabies vaccines are already on ground in some selected states, states of acute rabies, including the FCT.”