Following the report of two recently confirmed cases of Anthrax in Lagos State, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) have strengthened their partnership to check and control the spread of the disease in the country. Consequently, FMARD announced the Government’s plan to intervene to control the possible spread. To this effect, FAO Nigeria through the Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) was requested to provide the technical and financial support to the intervention strategy, particularly on logistics to the start-off of the risk-based nation-wide vaccination against Anthrax. The joint field mission to Sabon Wuse was conducted by the ECTAD, FDVPCS and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), where a quick risk assessment was conducted, one week after the first animal died of the disease. Vaccinations have been carried out and other risk communication initiatives were deployed to avoid the spread to other farms and/or neighboring communities within 15 kilometers radius.

Source: Nigerian Tribune August 02, 2023 16:52 UTC