FCTA confirms 8 rabies cases, 2 deaths, issues alert

The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has confirmed eight rabies cases and two deaths in the territory, urging residents to vaccinate their dogs and cats to curb the virus’ spread.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCTA confirmed the rabies outbreak on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Director of Veterinary Services in the secretariat, Dr Karnak Dandam, two persons, one in Gwagwalada and the other in Kwali Area Councils of the FCT, died from rabid dog bites.

Specifically, Dandam said that eight cases were recorded, five in Gwagwalada and three in Kwali Area Councils, out of which two persons lost their lives.

He said measures were already taken to curb the spread and asked residents to report dog bites.

Dandam described rabies as a “deadly viral disease that attacks the central nervous system” and transmitted through the bite of an infected dog or cat.

He said that the symptoms in humans include fever, headache, fatigue, and pain or tingling at the site of the bite, followed by anxiety, confusion, hallucinations and barking like a dog.

In dogs, he said the symptoms include excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, hallucination, hanging jaws, aggression to the owner and a severe fear of water referred to as hydrophobia.

He warned that the virus is fatal, adding that once symptoms appear in humans, survival is rare.

Dandam said the immediate remedy after a bite “is to wash the bite areas with soap and plenty of water as first aid and immediately present the victim to medical personnel for treatment”.

The director said that the cases were recorded in March and June, adding that samples were taken to the National Veterinary Research Institute, NVRI, Vom, in Plateau for confirmation.

“There are eight confirmed cases of samples taken for testing at the National Reference Laboratory, NVRI, and they came out positive. The first samples we took to Vom this year was in March and the result came out the same month. The second samples were in early June and the result came out on June 15,” he said.

He explained that the secretariat had carried out vaccination campaigns for dogs and cats across the FCT in Dec. 2025 and Jan. 2026, adding however, that the vaccines could not go round due to shortage of the doses.

The director equally said that the secretariat had intensified its awareness campaigns, advising residents to confine their dogs and cats after vaccination to stop them from straying, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

“The secretariat is also sensitising residents across the six area councils to take their dogs and cats to designated public and private veterinary clinics for rabies vaccination and certification.

“Everybody has to restrict his or her dog and cats, so that they will not be roaming the streets and become exposed to infected rabid dogs,” he added.