Vet Debunks Rabies Myths, Urges Vaccination

By Safia Abdulrahman

A veterinarian at Animal Care Services Konsult, Kaduna, Dr Agboola Lawal, says rabies is caused by a virus transmitted mainly through bites from infected animals, urging Nigerians to disregard widespread misconceptions about the disease.

Lawal told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the virus was present in the saliva of infected animals and entered the body through bite wounds or breaks.

He explained that although bites remained the primary mode of rabies transmission, infection could also occur when saliva from an infected animal came into contact with open wounds or mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose or mouth.

According to him, once the virus enters the body, it travels through the nerves to the brain, causing severe inflammation before spreading to salivary glands and enabling further transmission.

The veterinarian dismissed claims that animals are born with rabies, emphasising that the disease was neither inherited nor transmitted from a pregnant animal to its offspring before birth.

“There is no animal that is born with rabies. A healthy animal cannot develop rabies on its own. It must first become infected with the rabies virus, usually through the bite of another infected animal,” he said.

Lawal said the incubation period ranged from a few weeks to several months, depending on factors such as bite location, the amount of virus introduced and immune status.

He added that vaccination remained a vital preventive measure against rabies, noting that several mammalian species, including domestic and wild animals, are susceptible to infection by the virus.

“Rabies is not limited to dogs. Mammals, including cats, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, monkeys and foxes, could be infected,” he said.

However, he noted that domestic dogs remained the leading source of human rabies transmission in Nigeria, making responsible ownership and routine vaccination critical to preventing outbreaks nationwide.

Lawal urged the public to seek immediate medical attention after any suspected rabid animal bite, emphasising that prompt intervention and annual anti-rabies vaccination for pets could save lives.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Abiemwense Moru

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