Taraba state Governor Agbu Kefas has directed the state ministries of information, Agriculture and health to embark on sensitizing residents on the dangers of contacting the anthrax disease across the sixteen local governments of the state.
Health personnel have already been deployed to Cameroon border communities with the state to vaccinate and check those cattle moving into the country.
The state which shares borders with Cameroon, republic has one of the nation’s busiest cattle routes through which an estimated 5million cattle pass to other parts of the country monthly.
It is why the recent discovery of a case of anthrax in Niger State by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has Governor Agbu Kefas really worried considering the number of cattle that move across the state daily
The Governor has now directed the state ministry of Information and Re-orientation to create more awareness on the dangers of the disease through the media
He also wants health and veterinary personnel deployed to the Cameroonian border communities.
This is already a work in progress with the state Director of veterinary services, Dr Shehu Abdullahi confirming that his personnel are out across the 16 local governments of the state vaccinating cattle and checking livestock coming into the country through Cameroonian borders.
When TVC News crew visited abattoirs in Jalingo the health personnel met on ground spoke on hygienic processing that has been put in place to avoid zoonotic diseases.
Health workers in Taraba state have been charged to be on red alert at all times by checking thoroughly patients that come up with symptoms of the disease.
Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis
it occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.
Nigeria had its first index case in a farm at Niger State where some of the animals had symptoms including oozing of blood from their body openings – anus, nose, eyes and ears.
