A Professor of Public Health, Professor Tanimola Akande, has called for effective veterinary and human health surveillance systems to prevent the outbreak of anthrax disease in the country.
He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, noting that integrated surveillance was critical at the human-animal interface for rapid detection and response to emerging infections using the One Health approach.
According to Prof. Akande, who is a Consultant Public Health Physician at the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, zoonotic diseases are global health threats and advised that an effective one health approach was critical to improving the health of people, animals (pets, livestock, and wildlife), plants, and the environment.
“By protecting one, we help protect all; we must ensure all animals are healthy; unhealthy animals should be properly treated.
“Usually at abattoirs, animals are supposed to be assessed by veterinarians to ensure they don’t have diseases, if that is done, the chances of humans getting infected with anthrax are reduced.
“However, our vigilance and surveillance should be heightened because it’s not all animals that are slaughtered at abattoirs,” he said.
He advised that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control should strengthen collaboration and vigilance to check the outbreak.
The professor commended the public health advisory for warning Nigerians against the consumption of hides (Ponmo), noting that it was a timely measure that is crucial during epidemics.
He noted that the consumption of hides poses a serious risk until the situation was brought under control.
NAN reports that the FMARD on June 12, 2023, alerted Nigerians to the outbreak of anthrax disease within the West African sub-region; specifically, Northern Ghana bordering Burkina Faso and Togo.
Nigerians were advised to stop the consumption of hides (ponmo), smoked meat and bush meat, to avoid possible spread.
According to the World Health Organisation, a billion cases of illnesses and millions of deaths are due to diseases or infections transmitted from animals to humans yearly.
WHO defines anthrax as primarily a zoonotic disease in herbivores caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis.
It said that humans generally acquire the disease directly or indirectly from infected animals, or through occupational exposure to infected or contaminated animal products.
The health agency said that anthrax in humans was not generally regarded as contagious, although rare records of person-to-person transmission exist.
It noted that anthrax bacteria can survive in the environment for decades by forming spores.
(NAN)
Leave a Reply