The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called on residents to vaccinate their dogs and cats following the outbreak of rabies which has claimed two lives in the territory.
The victims, bitten by rabid dogs, died in Gwagwalada and Kwali area councils.
Dr Karnak Dandam, the Director of Veterinary Services in the FCTA Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the administration has stepped up efforts to control the outbreak and urged residents to report dog bites immediately and get prompt medical attention.
Dandam said rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted mainly through the bite of an infected dog or cat.
He said the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms develop and anyone bitten by a dog or cat should wash the wound thoroughly with soap and plenty of clean water immediately and report to the nearest health facility for urgent treatment.
The director said that there had been eight cases of laboratory confirmed rabies in the FCT this year, five of them in Gwagwalada Area Council and three in Kwali Area Council. Two people died contracting the disease.
The National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State, confirmed the cases recorded between March and June, he said.
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Dandam said the FCTA carried out anti-rabies vaccination campaigns across the FCT in December 2025 and January 2026 but the exercise was hampered by insufficient supply of vaccines.
The administration has bolstered public awareness campaigns, he said, urging residents to vaccinate their pets and prevent them from roaming freely to minimize the risk of exposure to infected animals.
He also urged pet owners to bring their dogs and cats to designated public and private veterinary clinics for vaccination and certification.
The director disclosed that the FCT Administration had started the procurement of more doses of vaccine in readiness for a mass vaccination campaign targeted at communities in the six Area Councils.
“The initiative is to make sure that all dogs and cats in the territory are vaccinated against rabies to protect public health,” he said.
Dandam also appealed to residents to be vigilant of sudden changes in the behaviour of their pets, noting that infected animals often become withdrawn before displaying unusual aggression and attacking people or objects without provocation.
He said that as the disease progresses, affected animals can become paralyzed and die within days of showing clinical signs.
The FCTA reiterated its commitment to strengthen disease surveillance, expand vaccination coverage and collaborate with the residents to eliminate the threat of rabies across the Federal Capital Territory.
