According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), anthrax disease may have spread throughout the country.
The NCDC made the announcement just hours after the Federal Government confirmed the first incidence of the disease in Niger state through the Ministry of Agriculture.
Ifedayo Adetifa, the executive director of the NCDC, in an interview with Channels Television, stated that anthrax entered the country from nearby countries.
“The case was in a multi specie animal farm comprising of cattle, sheep and goats located at Gajiri, along Abuja-Kaduna expressway Suleja Local Government Area, Niger State, where some of the animals had symptoms including oozing of blood from their body openings – anus, nose, eyes, and ears,” he said.
“Earlier there were significant movements of animals in the area of the last religious feast. The areas are called down south, and it’s possible that in that region where animals are infected may have made their way into the country.
“Most especially for animals that were brought in across the borders. So, in this context, this is the first animal we have diagnosed its condition with, so there may be other animals with it.”
The head of the nation’s public health agency also raised concern over the spread of anthrax throughout the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“It is also possible that the disease is currently across the country and likely other cases that are yet to be notified. But we can only react to what we know,” Adetifa said.
He advised that sick animals in the local vicinity of the reported farm and beyond should be reported to the human and animal health authority, while butchered and dead animals with clotted blood after being killed should be disposed of or alerted immediately.
The symptoms of anthrax-infected animals include blood seeping from their body openings (anus, nose, eyes, and ears) and a high temperature; it should be emphasized that in many situations, the sign is not visible and results in death.
