By Fatima Muraina
As part of efforts to curb the spread of anthrax outbreak in Nigeria, Ondo State Government has sensitised butchers, cattle market operators and other agricultural stakeholders in the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo made this known on Thursday in a statement issued by the Head, Publicity and Media Relations of the ministry, Sola Omoboyowa.
While addressing stakeholders at the conference in Akure, Aribo said the sensitization is to further safeguard the lives of the people which is the responsibility of the government.
Aribo who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Tubosun Ogunmola stated that the state government would do everything possible to prevent the spread of the disease, which he said is deadly and zoonotic in nature.
In his speech, the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Adebayo Ehinmowo said anthrax is a serious bacterial illness caused by a spore-forming bacterium that mainly affects animals and humans and can become infected through contact with an infected animal or by inhaling spores of infected animals.
He added that the disease is naturally found in the soil and affects domestic and wild animals.
Dr. Ehinmowo stressed that anthrax is not contagious from humans but zoonotic in nature, that is why humans can be infected by having contact with an infected animal, but cannot be contracted from human to human because it is a bacterial and not a virus.
He further explained that animals get infected with anthrax when they breathe in or ingest spores from contaminated soil, plants, or water while pointing to contagious animals to include cattle, sheep, and goats,
Reacting, Chairman of cattle market operators, Alhaji Kalid Idris Bature said the prevention is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the animal business and promised to work with the state government to prevent and curb the spread of the outbreak to the state.
