By Femi Ogunshola
The House of Representatives has resolved to curtail the outbreak of Anthrax discovered in a farm at Gajiri Village, in Niger State by directing relevant government agencies to arrest the outbreak.
This followed a motion of urgent public importance by Rep Adamu Tanko (PDP-Niger) on the floor of the House in Abuja on Tuesday.
In the motion, Tank noted that the report of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development concerning the presence of anthrax in Nigeria was disturbing.
He said the laboratory test conducted on the collected samples by the Navonal Veterinary Research Institute, confirmed the first reported case at a livestock farm.
He said similar cases of the diseases were confirmed in Northern Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo with symptoms, including sudden death and blood oozing from natural body openings
These include: nose, ear, mouth, and anal region and spread through affected livestock, bush meat, and contaminated environments.
He expressed concern over the potential spread of the disease to other livestock farms in the country and its possible impact on public health,
He said Anthrax might affect humans in direct contact with affected animals and contaminated products, with potential inhalation, through spores or wounds.
He said there was need for proactive measures to prevent spread of Anthrax in Nigeria and protect the health and livelihoods citizens by placing public health precautions in place.
He called for strict surveillance and monitoring of livestock farms, as well proper disposal of infected animals and contaminated materials.
He commended the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in addressing the issue.
This according to him was by implementing necessary measures to contain the spread of Anthrax and protect both livestock and human health.
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in implementing effective surveillance, vaccination.
Others include awareness campaigns to contain the outbreak and provide adequate resources and support to affected communities, including compensation for losses incurred due to the outbreak.
The House also urged the National Centre for Disease Control to put in place measures that will stop the further spread of anthrax.
The House also mandated the committees on Agricultural Production and Services | and Legislative Compliance when constituted to monitor.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government 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, 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 July 14, 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.
“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. (NAN)
