YAAY FREE HEALTHCARE........FOR DOGBITES!

 

 

The Federal Government has declared free treatment in all tertiary hospitals in the country for dog bite victims, the Minister of Health, Prof. ONYEBUCHI CHUKWU, said. The minister announced the plan in Abuja today as part of activities marking World Rabies Day, with the theme, ``Rabies: understand it to defeat it. ’’Rabies, contracted through dog bite, is a deadly infectious disease caused by a virus which invades the nerves, spinal cord, brain and salivary gland of an infected animal or man.CHUKWU, who was represented at the event by Mr SANI BALA, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, said about 10,000 Nigerians were exposed to dog bite annually.He expressed concern over the failure of many dog owners to vaccinate their animals against rabies.The minister said each year more than 55,000 people died globally from rabies infection, adding that although there is no effective treatment for the disease, it is vaccine-preventable. This caused a little argument in the office today,a colleague of mine said its better than nothing and that Nigerians complain about everything but really though,of all the things we fight with healthwise in this country,dogbites???