The Cross River Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, has shown that eating well-boiled meat does not protect against anthrax.
Dr. Obi Ogar, Director of Veterinary Services stated this in an interview with newsmen in Calabar on Saturday.
He was responding to assertions in certain circles that properly cooking meat may eliminate the bacterium that causes anthrax.
According to media sources, anthrax is a fatal bacterial and zoonotic illness produced by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It is also seen in cattle, sheep, and goats, and it may harm other species.
He said the bacterium could only be destroyed using heat through the process of incineration, which burns the substance to ashes.
He said that while disposing of an animal that dies of anthrax, it should be done in a very deep grave, after which disinfectant and chemicals should be poured on the carcass before covering it to prevent any escape.
“This organism is not killed by the heat from our kitchens but by incineration, thereby burning the substance to ashes, which renders the meat of no use to the owner,” he said.
Ogar said the public should desist from eating bush meat for the time being because the disease is zoonotic and could also affect animals in the wild.
He advised Nigerians to buy their meat from approved meat markets and not from roadsides because no one could guarantee where they got their meat from.
Recalls that a few weeks ago, it was reported in some neighbouring West African countries, and just last week, it was reported in Suleja, Niger State, Nigeria.
