Veterinary doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Veterinary Medication Association (NVMA), Lagos state chapter have reiterated the called to have a law to control the keeping of animals at home.

 

Dr. Alao Mobolaji, immediate past chairman of the association in Lagos while speaking with NAN during the world Rabies day with the theme; ‘Rabies Vaccinate to eliminate’, said that the association have been discussing on the need to have a law to control the keeping of domestic animals.

 

He said unfortunately there is no coordinating action against rabies in Nigeria and that for the members of the association it is heart breaking.

“We have lost both children and adults to dog bites. There was a time two bankers died. They were attacked by dogs and they were brought to us they showed signs of being bitten by dogs and they died eventually. He said like what the association is doing there is need to sensitise the public on the danger of dog bite stressing that with estimation there are about two to three million dogs in Lagos state alone.

 

“You know they are the closest to man. They do a lot of things for us. They protect, they can lead the blind, they are used to check for narcotics. They serve different purposes but mostly they are used to safeguard the environment and a lot of people use them for economic gains.

 

“What we actually want the public to know is that they are the main carriers of the virus and every dog needs to be properly vaccinated against rabies annually. That is the number one step to preventing dogs against rabies. Mobolaji further stated that it is the responsibility of every dog owner to vaccinate their dogs, which entails taking the dog to a veterinary clinic and get it duly vaccinated against rabies.

 

Speaking further he said that there are people that keep snakes, dogs, cats , monkeys, crocodiles in their houses now and that there is the need for the state to have laws so that people don’t fall victims. “A lot of people are actually falling victims. There was a case of a guy just going on his own in Lekki and was attacked by seven dogs brutally”.

 

Also a four year old at Igando was attacked by two Alsatian dogs. They bit his scalp open and he had to be flown to India for surgery and he is living with that scar for the rest of his life. Also speaking, Dr. Aroso Olufemi, the state chairman of the association stated that the association has been liasing with the state government on law reforms.

 

“At the national level there are different laws. The issue of Animal Disease Control Act is at the top level of discussion at the National Assembly. It is all encompassing. It will regulate a lot of things. There are diseases animals moving within states carry from states to states especially Avian Influenza that is transmittable from birds to humans. It has been there for some years at the national level.

 

But for Lagos State we have been discussing on the need to have a law to control the keeping of domestic animals. We have had advocacy in different places,” he said.