Federal Government (FG) announced the first case of anthrax on July, 17, 2023 after the disease was discovered in a farm in Niger State.
BizWatch Nigeria recalls that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that “is deeply concerned to announce the confirmation of an anthrax case in Niger State, Nigeria.”
The ministry via a statement also said, “the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria was notified of animals manifesting symptoms of a suspected case of anthrax in a farm in Suleja, Niger State.”
Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by exposure to Bacillus anthracis bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed that “anthrax occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.”
Hoe does the disease transmit to people? Humans can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.
What is the government doing to curb anthrax?
The Plateau State Government after the outbreak of anthrax announced that it would begin vaccination of 4.3 million cattle to curb the spread of disease in the state. The state government has already bought 200,000 doses of vaccines.
To combat the spread of anthrax disease in the capital city, the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) agricultural and rural development bureau has initiated a mass immunization of livestock.
The exercise was begun on July 24, 2023 in Paikon Kore Grazing Reserve, Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja, by Ishaq Sadeeq, acting secretary of the secretariat.
Sadeeq stated that the mass immunization exercise would last four weeks and would target at least one million livestock across the FCT’s six area councils.
He noted that the step was necessitated by the confirmation of the disease in Niger, one of the states bordering the FCT.
Yobe State Government has also taken a step to curb the spread of anthrax, saying it has purchased one million, five hundred thousand doses of vaccinations to cover the vaccination of the state’s anticipated livestock population of seven million in all 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Governor Mai Mala Buni stated this during the exercise’s flag-off ceremony in Kukareta, a village in Damaturu, the state capital.
He said, “The event provides us with a special opportunity to take urgent and concrete steps to prevent the spread of Anthrax disease from one other part of the country into the state as well as control of desert encroachment.
“According to medical experts, Anthrax is one hell disease that both humans and animals are at risk of contracting. Government has procured one million, five hundred doses of vaccines to cover the vaccination exercise of estimated livestock population of about seven million in all the 17 local governments of the state.”
Why vaccinate animals?
He said that the vaccine became necessary due to the state’s proximity to neighboring countries.
Because Yobe has international cattle lines heading to Central Africa, it is considered that vaccination of livestock will reduce the possibility of an epidemic of the illness in the state.
