Cattle vaccination
FCTA sets out to vaccinate 1million cattle. The Federal Capital Territory Administration says it has targeted no fewer than one million cattle for immediate vaccination to prevent the spread of anthrax into the FCT from nearby Suleja, Niger State.
This was made known by the Acting Secretary, Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCTA, Ishaq Sadeeq, during the flag-off of the vaccination exercise on Monday in Paikon Kore Grazing Reserve, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Sadeeq thanked the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, for promptly approving the purchase of a million doses of the vaccine for mass vaccination of cattle in the FCT, adding that vaccination was the most effective prevention against the spread of the disease.
He urged livestock owners to cooperate with veterinary health workers for the success of the exercise, which he disclosed would be carried out simultaneously across the 62 wards of the Territory over the next four weeks.
Since the disease’s breakout in Ghana earlier this year, he claimed, the administration has conducted a number of efforts to raise awareness of it among locals in general and livestock owners and butchers in particular.
Sadeeq continued by saying that the campaigns had given them information on the signs of anthrax and practical steps they could take to prevent both themselves and the animals from getting sick and spreading the disease.
On her part, Director, Veterinary Services in the Secretariat, Dr Regina Adulugba, said anthrax was a “fatal disease” to both animals and humans, noting that it was also an airborne disease, transmittable through open wounds and the consumption of infected animals.
The best defense against the sickness, according to her, is vaccination of the animals, which is what we are here to accomplish. It is deadly because it is zoonotic, meaning it can affect humans and animals. So, it is dangerous, and it spreads by too many means.
“If you have a wounded skin, it can affect the wound and then infect the person, or it can spread even through the air, or it can spread from consumption of meat”.
Instructing participants at the exercise that sick animals should rather be allowed to die and tests done on them to determine whether or not they are positive for the disease or not, Adulugba urged against the slaughter of any sick animal for consumption or sale.
Yahaya Isa, Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, praised the FCTA for the proactive action and added that it will protect both their assets and people’s lives.
“The entire Fulani herders’ community is happy and is fully prepared to comply with the arrangement. Our people are ready to cooperate with officials everywhere. We have even mobilised in each Area Council some group of youths to back them up wherever they are going”, he said.