Diagnostics, Vaccines and Community Services

The Center is committed to stepwise elimination of rabies in West Africa. The strategy of vaccinating animals to preserve human lives is logically executed through engagement with the community.

The assessment of vaccine availability, usage practices and one-health collaboration in endemic countries remain strategic towards achieving the goal. An inventory of rabies vaccines approved for use in Nigeria by the regulatory body, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was reviewed; seventy-one key informants, including fifty-eight veterinarians, four vaccine vendors, three vaccine importers, three physicians and three pharmacists, were interviewed and a market survey of rabies vaccines on sale in all 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria was undertaken between April and June 2019. Rabies vaccines were grouped according to manufacturer, country of origin, type (live-attenuated or inactivated), and market permit status. Only seven out of 17 brands of rabies vaccines (7 human and 10 veterinary preparations) available for sale in pharmacies and veterinary clinics across the country were approved and registered for use in Nigeria by NAFDAC for rabies pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis.