By Khadijah Aliyu
A dog suspected to be infected with rabies has bitten 18 people in Garko town, Kano State, before moving into neighbouring communities where it attacked and injured seven additional residents.
The affected communities include Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai in Garko Local Government Area.
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to the affected areas to track and contain the suspected rabid dog.
The State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi-Umar.
Al’ameen said the command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid had attacked residents in Garko town.
He said the dog subsequently moved into neighbouring communities, where it reportedly attacked and bit seven more people, bringing the total number of reported victims to 18.
The commander further disclosed that the command had received another report indicating that two additional dogs in the area were suspected to have been infected with rabies.
He said personnel of the NFSS Garko Division, led by the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected communities to track and contain the dogs.
Al’ameen urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and promptly report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
He advised anyone who may have been bitten by a suspected rabid dog to seek immediate medical attention.
The commander assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.
Editing by Khadija Kubau
