Suspected rabid dog bites 18 people in Garko, Kano

The Nigerian Forest Security Service, Kano State Command, says a dog suspected to be infected with rabies has bitten 18 people in Garko Local Government Area. The command said personnel have been deployed to track and contain the animals.

The NFSS reported the animal attacked 11 people in Garko town, and later bit seven other people in neighbouring communities including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai. The information was set out in a statement issued by the command and published by local media. Punch and Daily Post reported the incident.

Abdullahi Al’ameen, the NFSS Kano State Commander, said the command got a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a suspected rabid dog had attacked residents in Garko town. The statement was signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi-Umar. Punch carried the commander’s remarks.

The service said officers from the NFSS Garko Division, led by the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, were deployed to the affected communities to find and contain the suspected dog or dogs. The operation is intended to prevent further attacks and to lower the risk of rabies spreading in the area.

The NFSS also received a report that two additional dogs were suspected to be infected. The service warned the three animals could endanger residents and other animals, and urged people to report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.

“The mad dog has bitten other dogs here, we are not certain how many yet. After the mad dog was out of town, another one started to run mad as well,” an NFSS officer told Daily Post in a phone call. Daily Post

The NFSS advised anyone bitten by a suspected rabid dog, or who has had contact with an animal showing signs of rabies, to seek immediate medical attention. The service said its officers would continue to search the affected communities until the threat is brought under control.

Local health authorities have not published separate figures for hospital visits or treatments related to the incident in the reports available to CityWatch.ng.

Featured image: Jonathan Riddell uploaded and derivative work: MrPanyGoff via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.