FG, Gombe Govt Flag Off Nationwide Free Anti-Rabies Vaccination-2,500 Doses Allocated to State

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, in collaboration with the Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, has flagged off the Nationwide Anti-Rabies Free Mass Vaccination Campaign for dogs and cats against rabies.

Speaking during the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock Development, represented by the Director, Dr. Salami Bawa, said the flag-off marks a continuation of the Ministry’s initiative to intensify the vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies.

He described it as a concrete step toward protecting citizens, saving lives, and advancing the global goal of achieving zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by the year 2030.

Dr. Bawa disclosed that out of the twenty-six thousand doses of anti-rabies vaccines procured for the first phase of the campaign, Gombe State has been allocated two thousand five hundred doses.

He noted that, when judiciously utilized, the vaccines will significantly help reduce the incidence of rabies in the state.

The Permanent Secretary commended the Gombe State Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry for their strong collaboration and prioritization of rabies control under the One Health framework, working closely with human, animal health, and environmental stakeholders.

In his remarks, the Gombe State Commissioner for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, Barnabas Malle, emphasized that rabies elimination cannot be achieved by government efforts alone.

He called for the active involvement of all citizens, policymakers, veterinarians, dog owners, hunters, and other community stakeholders.

The Commissioner lamented that rabies continues to claim thousands of lives annually worldwide, with Africa and Asia bearing the greatest burden.

According to him, most victims are children under the age of fifteen—making rabies not just a health issue, but a tragedy for families and communities.

He, however, expressed optimism, noting that rabies is entirely preventable—chiefly through the vaccination of dogs and cats, which are the primary sources of human infection in the local environment.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Professional Hunters Association of Nigeria, Gombe State Branch, Mallam Yusuf, appreciated both the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the Gombe State Government for bringing the vaccination campaign closer to their members.

He assured that the Association would mobilize all members to bring their dogs for vaccination.