Recently, a patient I met narrated how she lost her first child. They lived in Zaria at the time. One morning, Hauwa asked her 12-year-old son, Yusuf, why he did not want to go to school that day. He told her that he had severe headache and could not drink water or eat food. Later, he began to throw up and foam at the mouth. A visit to the ABUTH revealed that Yusuf had rabies. He was exhibiting signs of hydrophobia or fear of water – an advanced symptom of the disease. Because of hydrophobia, saliva was accumulating in his mouth and he was unable to swallow.

The doctors at the hospital told her the grim news: once a person is symptomatic for rabies, treatment is ineffective. All the family could do was wait for Yusuf to die. Not long after the diagnosis, Yusuf passed away in a very agonising manner. His family was devastated.

“I still think of the way my child died. It always gives fear in my heart. Even if I see a dog, I am always afraid,” she said.

I hate dogs. They scare the living daylight out of me. If you invite me to your house and you have a dog that is roaming around freely, the answer is most definitely, a big ‘NO’.

Let’s talk about rabies in Nigeria. Yes, rabies is the disease that turns man’s best friend into his worst nightmare. You know, that thing that makes dogs foam at the mouth like they have just binge-watched a Nollywood thriller and can’t handle the plot twists. Rabies is no joke, but hey, if we don’t laugh, we will cry.

Trust me, after reading this, you will want to vaccinate your dog, your neighbour’s dog, and maybe even that stray dog that’s been eyeing your suya.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. Once symptoms show up, it is almost always fatal. Yes, almost always. That means if you get bitten by a rabid dog and don’t get treatment, ASAP, you are basically auditioning for a role in a zombie movie.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), rabies kills about 59,000 people globally every year. And guess what? Africa accounts for nearly 40 per cent of those deaths. Nigeria, being the giant of Africa, is unfortunately a heavyweight contender in this tragic statistic.

Here is a fun fact: Nigeria has one of the highest number of rabies-related deaths in the world. Fun, right? Not really.

The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) estimates that about 50,000 people die annually from rabies in Africa, with Nigeria contributing a significant chunk to that number. And here’s the kicker – 99 per cent of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites. Yes, dogs. Those fluffy, tail-wagging, “who’s a good boy?” creatures we all love. But when they are not vaccinated, they are basically walking, barking time bombs.

Now, let’s talk about the stray dog situation in Nigeria. If you have ever walked down a rural Nigerian street, you have probably seen at least five stray dogs, except of course in certain states where they are part of the local cuisine. They are everywhere lounging under cars, chasing chickens or just looking at you like they know something you don’t.

These dogs are the MVPs of the rabies transmission game. They are not vaccinated, they are not supervised, and they are definitely not paying taxes. And because they are strays, they are more likely to come into contact with other rabid animals like bats or rats, and then, pass the virus on to humans. It is like a bad game of tag, except instead of “you are it,” it is “you are dead.”

Furthermore, to make the matter worse, rabies is a highly communicable disease. That means that when a human being contacts rabies, he or she can transmit it to another person. I remember a few years ago when I went to the emergency ward to check on a patient and I overheard the nurses discussing a patient that had been brought in because of a dog bite with suspected rabies. Omo! If you need to see the way I tear race commot for that ward, ehn? Nobody needed to tell me twice. I ran as far away as my short legs could carry me, the patient long forgotten.

But here’s the thing: Rabies is 100 per cent preventable. Yes, 100 per cent. That’s not a typo. If we vaccinate dogs, we can stop rabies in its tracks. It is that simple. Yet, in Nigeria, dog vaccination rates are abysmally low. My friends in veterinary medicine are always complaining. Some estimates suggest that less than 10 per cent of dogs in Nigeria are vaccinated against rabies. That’s like having a football team where only one player shows up for practice. You are not winning any games with that strategy.

So, why aren’t we vaccinating our dogs? This is one of the cases where cost is not a factor as the vaccine has been highly subsidised by the government and is very cheap or even free, depending on your location. It is mainly a lack of awareness. Many people don’t even know that rabies is still a thing. They think it is one of those old-time diseases like the plague or smallpox. Spoiler alert: it is not. Rabies is alive and well, and it is not going anywhere unless we do something about it.

Solutions? First, we need to educate people about rabies. We need to let them know that it is not just a “dog problem”—it is a human problem. Second, we need to make dog vaccines more accessible and affordable. Maybe the government can step in and subsidise the cost. Or maybe we can organise community vaccination drives where people can bring their dogs to get vaccinated for free or at a reduced cost.

Finally, we need to tackle the stray dog problem. This doesn’t mean we should go around rounding up dogs like it is some kind of canine witch hunt. No, we need a more humane approach. Maybe we can set up shelters or sterilisation programmes to control the stray dog population. And while we are at it, let’s encourage people to adopt these dogs instead of buying expensive breeds. A vaccinated stray dog is way better than an unvaccinated purebred.

Rabies is a serious problem in Nigeria, but it is a problem we can solve. We just need to take it seriously. So, the next time you see a stray dog, don’t just shoo it away, think about the bigger picture. And if you have a dog, please, for the love of all things good and holy, vaccinate it. Your dog will thank you, your neighbours will thank you, and you might just save a life; who knows?