Alarm over deadly animal disease
Posted by News Express | 24 December 2019 | 920 times
The Kaduna State
Government has urged stakeholders in livestock value chain to be on red alert,
following a reported outbreak of a deadly disease, Charcoal Anthrax in
neighbouring Niger Republic.
A government statement
issued by Hajiya Halima Lawal, the State Commissioner for Agriculture in
Kaduna, urged livestock owners, farmers, butchers, dealers, transporters and
veterinarians to be at alert to symptoms of the disease among livestock.
Lawal said in the
statement she personally signed: “Recent reports from the Republic of Niger as
confirmed by the World Organisation for Animal Health have alerted the world to
a recent outbreak of Charcoal Anthrax in the Tillabery region of that
country.
“Charcoal Anthrax is a
deadly bacterial disease that affects animals and humans and can be fatal. The
bacteria can survive in the soil for many years and animals are infected when
they graze in affected areas.
“The disease is
characterised by sudden deaths in a livestock population with the carcass
bloating and oozing blood that does not clot through the body openings.
“The carcass does not
stiffen following death. In some cases, the disease manifests as a scratch that
can spread throughout the body.
“The animal later shows
difficulty in breathing. On slaughter, the blood of affected animals turns
black immediately after let-down and hence the name charcoal anthrax,” she
explained.
While acknowledging that
Kaduna State is not sharing borders with Niger Republic, Lawal said: “But
because of the fact that we are in the migratory season where there is usually
mass movement of livestock from the Sahel region of North Africa into Nigeria,
the likelihood of the disease being introduced into Kaduna State is high.
“The Kaduna State
Government through the Ministry of Agriculture has therefore, placed on alert
the disease Rapid Response Team and mandated it to intensify disease
surveillance to detect and respond to this public health emergency should it
arise.
Veterinary
clinicians/Para-vets awareness and stakeholders’ sensitisation will begin
immediately across the state.
“We therefore, call on
the general public to avoid opening any dead carcass and especially those
engaged in the livestock value chain activities to be vigilant and report any
suspected case of the disease to the nearest Veterinary clinic located in each
local government area of the state.”
The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) reports that Charcoal Anthrax is an infectious zoonotic disease
of livestock, manifesting either on the skin, as a scratch progressing into a
sepsis or as a pulmonary infection contracted by inhalation of the causative
micro-organisms.
The disease occurs
directly or indirectly through contact with infected animals or contaminated
animal products respectively, in human beings, hence the need to take
precautionary measures. (NAN)
Source: News Express
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