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Dogs infested with rabies are now on the prowl in lagos and residents should beware of this development. Exactly one year ago, 14-year-old James Musa had no inkling he would not live to celebrate his 15th birthday. In the same vein, Aishat Opakunle, a 21 lady, did not realise that her dream of becoming a computer engineer would be dashed in the twinkling of an eye. These promising Nigerians  who  lived at Mologede Estate, in Meiran area of Lagos, were cut down by bites from a rabid dog in their neighborhood.   They resided in the same environment with the same dog that bit them to death.

They were used to the animal, saw it daily, and often played with it. But something suddenly went wrong. Musa and Aishat did not notice that the dog had changed and was behaving strangely. Even after they were bitten, neither of them was bold enough to inform their parents. Rather they kept it secret.

By the time they eventually opened up about what happened, they had come down with rabies symptoms. It was sad because once a person shows symptoms for rabies, treatment is ineffective. All the families could do was wait for Musa and Aishat to die. Musa, who just passed his Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination, died of rabies infection in a most gruesome manner.

Narrating the incident, his aunt, Mrs. Racheal Daudu, expressed sadness at the turn of events. She said Musa did not disclose the reality of what happened until after the death of their neighbour, Aishat. “Musa did not confess until one month after Aishat died. Then he complained of headache and fever and we gave him some drugs. That was the Tuesday that followed the Friday on which Aishat died. He even went out to play football that same day.

“But when I came back, I met him lying down. We rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. He started saying nonsense. He was my sister’s son. He came to live with us,” she recalled. Similar case was that of an adult banker who on his was home in 2012, was bitten by dog. He didn’t take it serious, he just cleaned the wound and few days afterwards presented with rabies signs. Before long, he died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

As the number of dogs continue to increased in the community, so have the number of cases of dog bite victims. Between 2014 and 2015, more than 30 cases of dog bites were reported in the media, though, there were many others that were not reported. On September 25, 2015, the case of 4-year-old Omoniho Isaac Abraham, whose skull was torn apart by a dog that attacked him in Igando area of Lagos was reported. On August 21, 2015, Mrs. Maureen Akowe lost her 4-month-old baby who was attacked and killed by her dog in Asaba, Delta State. A 45-year-old commercial driver, Saturday Akpomose also narrowly escaped death after being attacked by seven dogs at Ajah area of Lagos State.

Any case of dogs behaving abnormally should be reported to the right authorities and it is expedient for dog owners to get their pets vaccinated to help protect members of the public from rabies infection.