Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Two persons have died of Rabies outbreak caused by a rabid dog bite in Abuja.
The Director of Veterinary Services in the secretariat, Dr Karnak Dandam, confirmed the incident in Abuja, yesterday.
The two rabies fatalities were reported in Gwagwalada and in Kwali Area Councils of the FCT out of eight cases that were recorded in two area councils.
Dandam said measures were already taken to curb the spread and asked residents to report dog bites.
Following the outbreak, the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has urged residents of the territory to vaccinate their dogs and cats.
Dandam said rabies is a deadly viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and transmitted through the bite of an infected dog or cat.
He listed the symptoms of rabies in humans to include fever, headache, fatigue, and pain or tingling at the site of the bite, followed by anxiety, confusion, hallucinations and barking like a dog.
Also he said infested dogs will exhibit symptoms, including excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, hallucination, hanging jaws, aggression to the owner and a severe fear of water referred to as hydrophobia .
He warned FCT residents that the virus is fatal, adding that once symptoms manifest in humans, the chances of survival is rare, adding the immediate remedy after a bite “is to initiate first aid by washing the bitten areas with soap and plenty of water and to immediately present the victim to medical personnel for treatment.
He said that the reported cases were recorded in March and June, of which samples were taken to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, in Plateau for confirmation.
“There are eight confirmed cases of samples taken for testing at the National Reference Laboratory, NVRI, and they came out positive.
“The first samples we took to Vom this year was in March and the result came out the same month. The second samples were in early June and the result came out on June 15,” he said.
He explained that the secretariat had carried out vaccination campaigns for dogs and cats across the FCT in December 2025 and January 2026, adding that the vaccines were inadequate due to shortage of the doses.
He equally said that the secretariat had intensified its awareness campaigns, advising residents to confine their dogs and cats after vaccination to stop them from straying, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
“The secretariat is also sensitising residents across the six area councils to take their dogs and cats to designated public and private veterinary clinics for rabies vaccination and certification.
“Everybody has to restrict his or her dog and cats, so that they will not be roaming the streets and become exposed to infected rabid dogs,” he said.
Dandam said that the FCT Administration had taken steps to procure the needed doses of the vaccines and would soon initiate a mass vaccination exercise in all villages and towns in the six area councils of the FCT to ensure that all dogs and cats are vaccinated in every community in the territory.
“Anywhere there is a dog and a cat, we will visit, vaccinate and give the owners a certificate of vaccination and license. That’s our plan.”
He urged residents to pay close attention to sudden changes in the behaviours of their dogs and cats which could be signs of rabies.
“The major clinical sign that the owner will notice is that the dog that has been friendly suddenly becomes apprehensive and aggressive and starts attacking without provocation.
“The first sign is that the dog will seclude itself, lay in a quiet place and will not be interested in any activity.
“When the rabies gradually develops, the dog will suddenly become apprehensive and start attacking any object that it comes across, even the owner will not be spared.
“As the disease advances, the dog will start roaming around with its jaw widely open, which will progress to paralysis and eventual death within 10 days of the onset of clinical signs,” he said.
