Group Cautions Dog Meat Consumers

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

A group, Good Development and Accountability Advocacy, GDAA, has called for a collaboration with the Federal Government towards the eradication of rabies in 2030.

Interacting with journalists in Umuahia, the President of GDAA, Chukwunazom Obi cautioned the public on the dangers of rabies and eating of dog meat.

According to him, consumption of dog meat already infected with the disease can destroy the life of the consumer.

He educated Abia residents on the need to vaccinate their dogs and cats, saying that his organization would tour every community in the State to carry out more sensitization campaigns against rabies.

Obi added that improved surveillance activities have been mounted around the State by the GDAA to pick stray dogs from the streets for vaccination, explaining that stray dogs were the main sources of infections from rabies-carrying animals.

“We have a unit that houses about 70 kennels, where recovered stray dogs are kept, vaccinated and maintained by our team of veterinary consultants.

“We have the facilities on the ground and we can replicate all we do in Abia State in other parts of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory if the donor community can assist us,” Obi said.

Lending his voice, Dr. Chibuzo Obiesi, the GDAA veterinary consultant, warned that rabies is not curable which formed the basis of the aggressive sensitization campaign, towards achieving a safer environment.

He said that GDAA over the years has been controlling the spread of rabies in the Umuahia metropolis by arresting stray dogs, and carrying out proper vaccination, which also includes chemical bath feeding and housing in the kennel until the owner surfaces for proper identification and collection.

Also speaking, the Head Department, of the Veterinary Surgery and Radiology Department, at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Dr. Njoku Uchechukwu Njoku expressed dismay that some dog and cat owners, especially those in rural areas don’t vaccinate their animals against rabies.

The HoD said the disease is one of the deadliest diseases with a fatality rate of almost 100% if adequate prophylaxis is not instituted immediately.