Lagos Begins Four-Week Free Anti-Rabies Vaccination Campaign

The Lagos State Government has flagged off free anti-rabies vacination campaign and urged animal owners to keep their pets under strict control to avoid constituting nuisance or danger in the environment.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, gave the advice at the flag-off ceremony of the 2023 free mass anti-rabies campaign at Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area, midweek, in Lagos.
Olusanya said the state government would hold a four-week free anti-rabies vaccination for all pet owners.
Olusanya, who was represented by Mrs Olatokunbo Emokpae, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said vaccination certificates would be issued to pet owners after the exercise.
Orgainsed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under Regeional Diesaes Survellance Systems Enhancement,  the theme of the campaign is “Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths”.
She urged the public to take advantage of this window of free vaccination programme being carried out simultaneously at the state government veterinary hospitals and clinics in all the divisions of the state to vaccinate their pets.
According to her, this is the third consecutive year of carrying out this laudable programme aimed at achieving the Global Strategy Plan for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies death by the year 2030.
“The Lagos State Government being piloted under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu leaves no one in doubt that we are at the forefront of the global target of eradicating rabies in the 21st century.
“This is so, especially with the bill which regulates ownership, licensing, sales of pets as well as prohibiting and restricting people from having in custody dangerous animals in public places.
“Our goal, once again, is to achieve the global strategy plan on elimination of dogs mediated human rabies death by 2030.
“I am again using this mass campaign programme to urge all animal owners to be deliberate and intentional in keeping all their pets and animals under strict control so that they do not constitute any nuisance or danger to others in the environment”, she said.
The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Oko-Oba, Mrs Olayinka Akeredolu, said the programne was orgainsed in collaboration with the department of Veterinary Services in Lagos Ministry of Agriculture.
Akeredolu urged participants at the programme to propagate that all dogs should be vaccinated against rabies.
She urged youths in the state not to play with animals they are not familiar with adding they may be unvaccinated and rabies carrier.
“If you see any stray dog in your community, please, report it to the relevant authority, we don’t want our people to die of needless death”, she stated.