Miyetti Allah urges nationwide livestock vaccination against anthrax

The President of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, has urged the Federal Government to launch a comprehensive nationwide livestock vaccination campaign targeting anthrax.

In a statement released on Thursday, Othman-Ngelzarma stressed the importance of this initiative. Anthrax, a disease caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis, poses a significant threat to ruminant animals like cattle, sheep, and goats.

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from infected animals to humans. People can contract the disease through direct contact with sick animals, participating in the slaughtering process, or handling contaminated animal products.

Highlighting the scale of the issue, Othman-Ngelzarma pointed out that Nigeria boasts a livestock population of over 20 million cattle and 75 million sheep and goats, with various animals frequently entering the country for trade or transit from neighboring nations such as Chad, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, and Benin.

While anthrax outbreaks have so far been reported in only two states, Othman-Ngelzarma emphasized the urgent need for a nationwide vaccination effort to prevent the disease from spreading to other regions of the country.

ALSO READ

• NNPC reveals pipeline repairs cost N34.47bn in 18 months
• Nyesom Wike sacks 21 Heads of FCTA Agencies, Companies
• Health minister says rising non-communicable diseases due to aging and lifestyle changes

“Anthrax being a zoonotic disease and a national security matter due to its nature of spread and mortality must be treated with all the urgency it deserves,” the statement reads.

“Therefore, the best solution in dealing with the problem is to embark on a nationwide vaccination exercise.”

He commended the federal government for the early detection of the anthrax outbreak.

He added that a few risk-based vaccination exercises conducted by the government in the affected areas did not cover up to two percent of the livestock population in the country.

“Our members have lost over three million heads of cattle in the ensuing insurgency, banditry, and cattle rustling across the states, we are not prepared to incur more,” he noted.

“We, therefore, appeal to the federal government to take stringent measures to curtail the outbreak of not only anthrax but other livestock diseases like foot and mouth disease that have a serious impact on the economic livelihood of our members.

“The fact that livestock constitutes about 37 percent of the GDP in agriculture and which also is a multi-trillion-naira business and a source of employment and creates high-quality jobs in its value chain, should not be allowed to suffer unnecessary shocks.

“We want to assure the Federal Government that we will be partners in progress in not only minimizing the farmer/herder conflicts but in taking livestock production to its most desired place under the new administration.

“The association also commended the Yobe government for the procurement of anthrax vaccines and other vaccines and the vaccination of all livestock in the state.

“We appeal to other state governments to copy Yobe and do the needful to protect their livestock assets.”