The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) has called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, communities, development partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders to accelerate efforts to eliminate rabies in Nigeria by 2030. This call was made during activities commemorating the 2026 World Rabies Day in Abuja. The event featured calls for increased public awareness, mass dog vaccination, and coordinated action across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
According to Dr. Samuel Akawu Anzaku, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria and Director, Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, rabies remains a major public health concern despite being preventable through vaccination. He stressed that activities marking World Rabies Day should translate into sustained interventions beyond the annual commemoration. The ministry's campaign would include mass vaccination of dogs in communities and Area Councils, a technical symposium, and wider national mobilisation involving State Veterinary Services, development partners, private-sector organisations, and other stakeholders.
Dr. Anzaku also disclosed plans to introduce human pre-exposure prophylaxis for frontline workers regularly exposed to dogs, including veterinarians, para-veterinary professionals, and hunters. He stressed the need for the adoption of the one health approach, noting that effective rabies control required coordinated interventions across the livestock, human health, and environmental sectors. Additionally, he called for stronger measures to address the problem of stray dogs, with the active involvement of relevant environmental authorities.
Dr. George Uzaga Onyemaokwu, National Coordinator, Rabies Control Programme in Nigeria, disclosed that reports had been received from between 18 and 20 states in some months, with more than 100 cases recorded between January and August 2026. He identified responsible dog ownership as one of the most important measures for controlling the disease. Onyemaokwu explained that although dogs were not naturally carriers of the rabies virus, they could become infected when exposed to it.
Nigeria has an estimated dog population of more than 30 million, and Onyemaokwu stressed the need to achieve high vaccination coverage, with a target of vaccinating about 70 per cent of the country's dog population. He called on state governments, development partners, private-sector organisations, and other stakeholders to support mass dog vaccination campaigns, noting that prevention through vaccination remained critical to saving lives and reducing the economic burden associated with rabies.
Other stakeholders, including Dr. Nasir Ahmed, One Health Lead at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and Dr. Sharifat Fadugba, FCT One Health Desk Officer, also stressed the importance of sustained collaboration among government institutions, communities, and other stakeholders. They urged Nigerians to practise responsible dog ownership, ensure that their dogs were vaccinated, and promptly report all dog-bite incidents to the nearest health or veterinary facility.
The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has commenced mass dog vaccination across rural communities in the FCT, and stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting national efforts aimed at preventing and eventually eliminating rabies. Sustained collaboration across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors would be critical to achieving Nigeria's goal of eliminating rabies by 2030.
Key points
- Nigeria aims to vaccinate 70% of its estimated 30 million dog population to control rabies.
- The country has recorded over 100 rabies cases between January and August 2026.
- Stakeholders are calling for sustained collaboration and responsible dog ownership to eliminate rabies by 2030.
