A 30-year Retrospective Laboratory Surveillance of Wildlife Rabies in Nigeria

Abstract

Rabies is a neglected, fatal zoonotic disease that poses great diagnostic challenge in developing countries. It remains a serious public health hazard in many developing countries where dog bite is the main mode of transmission to man. Accurate laboratory diagnosis of rabies is important in the confirmation of the disease in man and animals. This study was designed to evaluate the existence of rabies in wild animals in Nigeria between 1990 and 2019. Annual records of rabies which were confirmed through laboratory diagnosis at the National Reference Laboratory for rabies in Nigeria, The National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State, were retrieved, analysed and presented using descriptive statistics. A total of Eighty-four (84) wildlife specimens tested for rabies during the period under review, 17 (20.34%) were positive for rabies while 67 (79.76%) were negative. Squirrels (8%) and monkeys (5%) had the highest occurrence of the disease. Thus presenting baseline information on the occurrence of rabies in wildlife in Nigeria.