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Tag: Anthrax

  • Anthrax: Oyo Govt. Seals Pharmacy, Operating Illegal Vet Services

    Anthrax: Oyo Govt. Seals Pharmacy, Operating Illegal Vet Services

    The Oyo state government has sealed FinRel Pharmacy Supermarket and Bakery, Ibadan for violating the Oyo State Veterinary Practicing Premises Registration Regulation 2018, Oyo State Private Veterinary Premises and Veterinary Establishment law, 2017 and Animal Diseases Control Act, 2022.

    Sealing the premises on Monday in Ibadan, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye said FinRel was operating an illegal veterinary pharmacy and engaging in Veterinary Clinical Services.

    He also stated that this can put the health of members of the public in danger.

    The Commissioner, speaking through the Deputy Director, (Monitoring), Dr. AbdulRrazzaq Lawal, said the move was in line with the Oyo State Government efforts to curtail and prevent the outbreak of diseases, adding that government would not relent in its effort to ensure safety of lives and properties.

    Barrister Olasunkanmi stated that the move was not to witch-hunt anybody but to ensure sanity in the veterinary service delivery in the state.

    According to him, “we discovered through our surveillance that the owner of the premises is operating an illegal veterinary pharmacy and engaging in Veterinary clinical services without registration with the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which against the law, using of unapproved location for sale of Veterinary products as well as treatment of sick animals that can put post health risk to humans, as their customers can contract zoonotic diseases from the location”.

    The Commissioner hinted that the Oyo State government would not allow any person or group of persons’ selfish interests put the entire state in danger of contrasting diseases from animals.

    Barrister Olasunkanmi however enjoined the public to support the government’s effort in preventing outbreak of diseases. He also advised all unregistered veterinary premises to register according to the law.

  • Anthrax: Oyo Govt. Sensitizes Butchers, Cattle Dealers

    Anthrax: Oyo Govt. Sensitizes Butchers, Cattle Dealers

    …strengthens surveillance on animal disease

    The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, sensitized butchers and livestock dealers on the deadly anthrax disease, as it strengthens surveillance of abattoirs for detection and prevention of the animal disease.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye said it is part of the State Government’s efforts to forestall the outbreak of anthrax disease in the state.

    According to him, anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacteria – Bacillus anthracis. It occurs naturally in the soil and affects domestic and wild animals.

    He said people can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

    Barr. Olaleye said the awareness was to inform stakeholders, especially butchers, cattle dealers/sellers, and consumers, on the need to guard against anthrax disease.

    The Commissioner stated that there was currently no suspected or confirmed case of anthrax in the state. Rather, preventive measures must be adhered to.

    He said the essence of the sensitisation was to create awareness on the preventive and control measures to tackle the menace of anthrax.

    According to him, butchers and cattle dealers/sellers need to know the symptoms of anthrax disease and how to prevent it.

    “The state government under the leadership of Engr. Seyi Makinde has put every machinery in place with necessary stakeholders to curtail the outbreak of the anthrax. Part of it is that information has been sent to all veterinary doctors and directors of agriculture across the 33 local governments in the state to be on red alert”.

    The Commissioner, however, called on the association of butchers, cattle dealers, and cattle sellers to support the government’s effort in preventing anthrax by ensuring that the cattle to be slaughtered were well observed by the veterinary Doctors.

    He also advised the general public to be cautioned on animals they consume, having in mind that the disease can only be contracted through animals.

    The Commissioner said the deadly disease that had claimed some lives was a bacteria disease that affects both animals and man.

    Speaking on the Anthrax disease, the Deputy Director, Veterinarians Services, Dr. Mrs. Mofoluwake Ibitoye said anthrax is an infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis that occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals.

    According to her, the affected animals would go off feed, weak, may have fever for a while, when it dies, there would be unclotted blood (watery blood) bleeding through all the openings in the body, such as anus, nostrils, mouth and ear. When these are noticed, they should inform the nearest veterinary Doctors or contact the ministry.

    She added that the ministry is collaborating with other MDAs to ensure people are fully aware of the disease.

    Dr. Ibitoye equally urged butchers and the general public to be cautious and ensure they patronise only government approved abattoir as well as to go for hygienic animals for their consumption.

    In his remarks, the Chairman, Butchers Association, Ibadan North Chapter, Mr. Nureni Areo commended the government for being proactive, stressing that the government should ensure total enforcement.

    He advised that only Government approved abattoirs in the state should be patronised, urging the government to ensure proper screening of animals before entering the state.

    He expressed readiness of the association to support the government.

    Places visited for the awareness were Amosun central Abattoir, Lam Adesina International Cattle Market, and Goat sellers market at Akinyele local government, amongst others.

  • Niger State Reports First Case of Anthrax, Health Officials Confirm

    Niger State Reports First Case of Anthrax, Health Officials Confirm

    The Federal Government has confirmed the first case of Anthrax in Nigeria after disclosing on Monday that the disease was detected in a farm in Niger State.

    Making this known in a statement on Monday, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that it “is deeply concerned to announce the confirmation of an anthrax case in Niger State, Nigeria.”

    It added that “On 14th of July, 2023 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.

    “The case was in a multi-specie animal farm comprising of cattle, sheep and goats located at Gajiri, along Abuja-Kaduna expressway Suleja LGA Niger State, where some of the animals had symptoms including oozing of blood from their body openings – anus, nose, eyes and ears.

    “A Rapid Response team comprising of federal and state One Health Professional Team visited the farm to conduct preliminary investigations and collected samples from the sick animals.

    “Subsequent laboratory tests by the National Veterinary Research Institute laboratory confirmed the diagnosis, marking the first recorded case of anthrax in Nigeria in recent years and after the report of an outbreak of anthrax in Northern Ghana a few weeks ago.”

    According to the statement, all animals affected have died.

    The Ministry had a few weeks ago communicated the risk of incursion of Anthrax into the country, following confirmed outbreaks in Ghana and other countries in West Africa.

    Anthrax is a major zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which primarily affects animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats but can also infect humans, who come into direct contact with infected animals or consume contaminated animal products.

    The disease can also be transmitted through contaminated pasture, feed and water.

    The clinical signs of Anthrax in animals include sudden death and blood oozing from natural body openings (nose, ear, mouth and anal region).

    The spores of anthrax can persist for decades in a contaminated environment.

    The Federal Government said it has through the Ministry and in collaboration with the Niger state government, taken proactive measures to timely control and contain the disease.

    Such measures include Quarantine of the affected farm; deployment of 50,000 doses of anthrax vaccines for ring vaccination of susceptible animals’ species around the infected farm; educating the farm workers using a One-health approach on the symptoms, preventive measures and what to do when they notice any sign of the disease.

    Other measures include the finalization of the plan for state-wide vaccination of susceptible animals against anthrax and the intensification of passive surveillance activities in livestock farms, markets and abattoirs and others are heightening targeted public awareness campaigns on anthrax.

    Also, the Ministry urged all livestock owners to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicion of illness or deaths on their farms; avoid contact with sick or dead animals and their products and avoid slaughtering sick animals as slaughtering of sick animals can expose people to anthrax spores.

    Livestock owners are also advised to avoid contact with wild animals and products such as ‘bush’ meat, report any incidence of the sudden death of animals to the nearest veterinary authorities, use personal protective equipment (gloves, facemasks, goggles, boots) when handling sick animals or dead animals, practice suitable biosecurity measures and dispose of all cases of animals in an environmentally friendly manner and in consultation with veterinarians, environmental and public health officers.