Abuja:The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) has identified insufficient funding, lack of collaboration, a shortage of manpower, and inadequate facilities and vaccines as significant barriers to eradicating rabies in the country.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Oladokun Fadipe, the Acting Registrar of the Council, emphasized the need for the government to allocate sufficient resources to enable mass vaccination of dogs nationwide. He stated that achieving mass vaccination in one year would lead to dog owners being responsible for routine vaccinations, with penalties for non-compliance.
Fadipe expressed concern over the limited manpower and facilities available to treat individuals bitten by rabid dogs. He noted that there are only 12,700 registered veterinarians in Nigeria, with fewer than 10,000 registered para-veterinarians, against an estimated need for 50,000. He highlighted the inadequacy of public service veterinarians for meeting the 2030 rabies eradication target.
To address these issues, Fadipe suggested that the government recruit more personnel and consider a Public-Private Partnership to involve private practitioners. He also pointed out the insufficient vaccine production capacity at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, which necessitates vaccine imports.
Fadipe called for the recruitment of additional personnel, upgrading of facilities, and enhancement of NVRI’s capacity to produce enough vaccines to meet national demand. He urged stakeholders to embrace collaboration rather than working in isolation, aligning with the 2026 World Rabies Day theme, ‘Stronger Together.’
He emphasized the importance of responsible dog ownership and the need for dog owners to present their dogs for free vaccination opportunities. Fadipe concluded by advocating for continued media advocacy and public sensitization to ultimately eradicate rabies and ensure its sustained prevention.