The Nigerian Government has declared
free treatment in all tertiary hospitals in the country for dog bite victims.
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, announced this in Abuja today at a news conference to mark the 2013
World Rabies Day, with the theme, “Rabies: understand it to defeat it.”
Rabies is a deadly infectious
disease caused by a virus which invades the nerves, spinal cord, brain and
salivary gland of an infected animal or man. It is transferred to humans
through dog bite.
Professor Chukwu, whose speech was
read by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Sani Bala, said
about ten thousand Nigerians were exposed to dog bite annually, and expressed
concern at the inability of many dog owners to vaccinate their animals against
rabies.
According to the minister, over
fifty-five thousand people die annually across the world from rabies infection,
adding that although there was no effective treatment for the disease, it was
vaccine-preventable.
The Health Minister said government would
create anti-rabies vaccine centres in the 36 states and the Federal Capital
Territory.
In his remark, W.H.O. Representative in Nigeria, Dr
Rui Vaz, said rabies had become a major public health problem in Nigeria, with
an estimated 25,000 people dying of the infection in Africa each year.
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