Anthrax: Yobe Govt Procures 1.5m Vaccine Doses For Livestock
Yobe State Government says it has procured one million, five hundred thousand doses of vaccines vaccines to cover the vaccination exercise of estimated livestock population of about seven million in all the 17 Local Governments Areas of the state.
Governor Mai Mala Buni made this known during flag-off of the exercise at Kukareta, a community in Damaturu, the state capital, on Thursday.
He said, “The event provides us with a special opportunity to take urgent and concrete steps to prevent the spread of Anthrax disease from one other part of the country into the state as well as control of desert encroachment.
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“According to medical experts, Anthrax is one hell disease that both humans and animals are at risk of contracting. Government has procured one million, five hundred doses of vaccines to cover the vaccination exercise of estimated livestock population of about seven million in all the 17 local governments of the state.”
He noted that the vaccination became imperative considering the state’s proximity with neighbouring countries.
With Yobe having international cattle routes leading to Central Africa, it is believed the vaccination of the livestock would minimize the possible outbreak of the disease in the state.
Since the outbreak of the anthrax disease that was reported in Ghana, Burkina Faso and recently in Niger State, Nigeria, governors have been working out modalities to curtail a possible outbreak of the disease in their respective states due to its nature of being transmissible to humans.
Yobe State being one of the largest producer of livestock in the country and its peculiarity of sharing border with Niger Republic and Cameroon, the state government sees the need to take proactive measures.
On July 17, the Federal Government confirmed the first case of Anthrax in Nigeria, disclosing that the disease was detected in a farm in Niger State.
