Abstract

Dog bites are of serious public health importance due to issues arising from being the most incriminated source of rabies in humans and domestic animals. Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease with 100% mortality which is endemic in developing countries, claiming many lives annually and has the canine species as the most significant source. Although, canine rabies is well controlled in developed countries, it continues to pose serious health risks in Africa. Given the scarcity of data on the disease in Delta State, Nigeria, a retrospective study was conducted from January, 2023 to April, 2024. Data were obtained by the review of records from the Area Veterinary Officers, laboratory-confirmed canine rabies cases from Delta State at the National Veterinary Research Institute, (NVRI), Vom, and suspected human rabies cases records in the State Ministry of Health. There was a total of 53 suspected rabid-dog bite cases, six confirmed canine rabies cases, and nine suspected human death cases due to rabies in the state. In all, a total of 4,032 dogs were vaccinated against rabies in the state (2,984 in 2023 and 1,048 in 2024). The continued cases of canine rabies, dog bites and human deaths due to rabies require a One-Health approach for the successful control of the disease in the state. Responsible dog ownership and the enforcement of existing laws on rabies control is advised.

Key words: Dog bites; Canine rabies; Suspected human deaths due to rabies cases