On Tuesday, the directors of veterinary services across the states and the Federal Capital Territory met with officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and other relevant private stakeholders in the livestock sector to examine the most sustainable way of tackling the outbreak of anthrax disease in the country.
The first detected case of the highly fatal and contagious zoonotic disease was on a farm in Sabo Wuse in Niger State, which is located on the outskirts of the FCT and subsequently few cases were confirmed in a livestock market in Lagos.
This outbreak in the two states led to a number of suspected cases reported from other states with samples still under laboratory analysis at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State.
Anthrax is an extremely lethal and transmissible zoonotic (an animal disease that can also affect humans) infection, which can lead to a public health emergency of high proportion.
Anthrax can also be used as a biological weapon by terrorists in deadly warfare situations to kill people.
According to estimates from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are approximately 22.3 million cattle, 53 million sheep, 99.8 million goats and 9.2 million pigs, across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Experts said these categories of animals are highly susceptible to the disease.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, said the consultative meeting was to enhance the understanding of the disease and its impact on livestock and humans and to ensure effective surveillance systems for early detection and reporting.
Dr Umakhihe, who spoke through Dr Columba T. Vakuru, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, said the meeting was significant in identifying opportunities for collaboration as well as a comprehensive, implementable action plan.
The FAO-Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) country team leader, Dr Otto Vianney Muhinda, said the organisation will work with the ministry and states to strengthen in-country capacity to tackle transboundary and zoonotic animal diseases.
Dr Muhinda, who is also an epidemiologist, said he was excited to see the level of response to the disease across the states.
Dr Chinyere Ikechukwu-Eneh, Director/Chief Veterinary Officer, Epidemiology, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services and Chair, National Anthrax Technical Working Group and Incident Manager for the Control of Anthrax, gave the situation analysis of the disease.
He said so far, there are four confirmed cases and 44 suspected cases; and that while the results of some of the samples from some states came out negative, other results are still being awaited.
The epidemiologist reckoned that so far, the disease has killed 35 animals.
Dr Chinyere said the federal government, in collaboration with partners, has dispatched a total of 100,000 vaccine jabs to Lagos and Niger for emergency vaccination.
Giving an update, directors of veterinary services of Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Yobe, FCT, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo states said they have commenced vaccination of animals in their domains.
The FCT, for example, has procured a total of 800,000 jabs and has begun vaccination of animals in the territory.
The National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Baba Ngelzarma, however, called for more education and sensitization of its members to accept vaccination, adding that the entire value chain of the livestock, from the farmers, transporters, marketers and butchers, do not have the necessary education on some of the zoonotic diseases.
Since the disease can also be weaponized, Ms Pamela West from the office of the National Security Adviser and Principal Staff Officer, Focal Person CBRNE CoE/Nuclear Security, called for intense collaboration to deal with the situation as it has implications for livestock and national security.
What stakeholders seek urgently
Dr Sati Ngulukun, Director of Diagnostics and Extension Services of the NVRI, Vom, Plateau State, advocated for urgent training of veterinary officers for proper sample collections and transportation.
He said if samples are not collected properly, it will affect the results of the analysis, adding that not everybody can collect samples.
Dr Sati also cautioned against the transportation of samples collected from suspected animals via the public transport system, adding that it was unethical and could cause serious public issues if anything happened in the process.
A renowned veterinary practitioner, Dr Bala Mohammed, called on the authorities at the federal and state levels to make a culture of embarking on regular training, particularly of field officers at regular intervals instead of waiting for emergencies like the current situation.
Stakeholders particularly want the Nigeria Customs to stop the import of livestock, particularly along the borders, until the situation improves.
Stakeholders also mull a temporary ban on hide and skin because the experience from countries that suffered from the disease showed that farmers were willing to dispose of the carcass but wanted to harvest the skin for the market.
They urged that workers in affected farms and abattoirs be tracked and tested as part of surveillance mechanisms.
What farmers should do
Farmers are advised to use caution when purchasing livestock such as cows, camels, sheep, goats, and other livestock from states in Nigeria that border Benin, Chad and Niger as well as Ghana and Togo via waterways
Refrain from killing sick animals. If an animal is sick and is killed, the anthrax spores may be released, which humans may breathe in.
Avoid consuming products from sick or dead animals, and report any instances of abrupt animal death to the local veterinary authority or the state ministry of agriculture
The best way to protect animals from anthrax is through vaccination. To create a vaccination plan suitable for your particular animals, speak with a veterinarian.
Animals bleeding from body openings should be reported right away to veterinary authorities or agricultural extension personnel. Please take note that anthrax-infected animal blood does not clot.
