World Rabies Day: Rabies Elimination Requires 70% Dog Vaccination, Says LMS Boss
Livestock Management Services (LMS) has learnt that interrupting rabies transmission across Nigeria will only be possible if 70 per cent of the country’s dog population is vaccinated, as persistent coverage gaps continue to fuel outbreaks.
Bala Muhammed, Director and Chief Executive Officer of LMS, spoke to PulseNets in Abuja on Sunday during activities marking World Rabies Day 2025, observed annually on September 28. This year’s global theme is “Act Now: You, Me, Community.”
The commemoration is designed to raise awareness on rabies prevention, highlight the life-saving role of vaccination, promote timely treatment, and also honour Louis Pasteur, the scientist who developed the world’s first rabies vaccine.
Mr Muhammed told PulseNets that “over 99 per cent of human rabies infections in Nigeria are caused by hunting and free-roaming community dogs that interact with wildlife and spread the virus to domestic animals and people.” He stressed that the most effective prevention strategy is targeted vaccination of hunting and community dogs.
He further reported that resource mobilisation is urgently needed, urging government, NGOs, community leaders and donors to “fund free mass vaccination, deploy mobile clinics, subsidise the training of local vaccinators, and create reliable mapping of dog populations.”
The LMS CEO also called for school and community education campaigns, stronger enforcement of dog registration, and wider access to Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for bite victims, especially children.
According to data obtained by PulseNets, rabies kills an estimated 59,000 people globally every year, with dogs responsible for 99 per cent of human cases. Africa alone accounts for about 21,000 deaths annually. In Nigeria, between 1,000 and 2,000 people die yearly, while tens of thousands more suffer dog-bite exposures, most of them children under 15.
Mr Muhammed emphasised that “timely wound washing and immediate referral for PEP can save lives, but vaccination of dogs remains the cheapest and most sustainable way to stop human suffering.” He also observed that while PEP is costly and sometimes inaccessible, dog vaccination can drastically cut the need for PEP.
Speaking on this year’s theme, the LMS boss highlighted that tackling rabies in Nigeria demands collective responsibility, responsible pet ownership, confinement of animals, and annual vaccination to protect families, children, and livestock.
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He further told PulseNets that “this commemoration calls on dog owners to vaccinate and contain their animals; on health and veterinary services to coordinate Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) and PEP access; and on policymakers to fund mass vaccination, surveillance, community education and local mobilisation so that every neighbourhood understands the dangers of rabies.”
Muhammed concluded by insisting that health workers and veterinary services must work together on bite surveillance, IBCM, and community education so that no case of rabies is ignored.
