As part of efforts to prevent and curb the spread of anthrax outbreak in Nigeria, Ondo State Government has sensitised the association of butchers, cattle market operators and other relevant agricultural stakeholders in the business.
Speaking while addressing stakeholders at the conference hall of the Ministry of Agriculture in Akure, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo, said the sensitization is to further safegyard the lives of the people which is a responsibility of government.
Aribo, represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Tubosun Ogunmola stated that the state government would do everything possible to prevent the spread of the disease which he said is deadly and zoonotic in nature .
In his speech, the Director of Vetinary Services, Dr. Adebayo Ehinmowo said anthrax is a serious bacterial illness caused by a spore-forming bacterium that mainly affects animals and humans which can become infected through contact with an infected animal or by inhaling spores of infected animals.
The Director added that the disease is naturally found in soil and affects domestic and wild animals.
His words “People can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.
“Anthrax can cause severe illness in both humans and animals” he said.
Dr. Ehinmowo stressed that anthrax is not contagious, but zoonotic in nature, that is why human can be infected by having contact with an infected animal, but can not be contracted from human to human because it is a bacterial and not a virus.
He further explained that animals get infected with anthrax when they breathe in or ingest spores from contaminated soil, plants, or water while pointing to contagious animals to include cattle, sheep, and goat.
While noting that routine vaccination can prevent outbreaks, Ehinmowo also reeled out symptoms of the illness to include; sore throat, fever, achy muscles, cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, noting that the disease is preventable through vaccination.
Reacting, the chairman of cattle market operators, Alhaji Kalid Idris Bature said the prevention is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the animal business and promised to work with the state government to prevent and curb the spread of the outbreak to the state.
