Anthrax Disease: Rivers Govt Begins state-wide Vaccination of Livestock
Barikui Felix, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture will embark on a state-wide livestock vaccination campaign from February 10 to 17, 2025, following the recent outbreak of Anthrax disease in Zamfara State.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii, who made this statement available to journalists in Port Harcourt, said the move aligns with Governor Siminalaiyi Fubara’s policy on food security and food safety in Rivers State.
He said: “His Excellency has directed and approved the flag-off of a state-wide vaccination campaign to prevent any case of Anthrax disease in the state.
“This is consequent on the fact that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has recently confirmed an outbreak of Anthrax disease in a mixed livestock farm in Niger and Zamfara States”.
Kii said the State Ministry of Agriculture will immediately implement the vaccination exercise of all livestock farms in the state and enlighten the public about this development. The commissioner explained that Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that affects animals and humans and can be spread through direct contact, consumption of infected meat or products, or inhalation of spores.
While calling for cooperation from livestock farmers in the state, he added, “The Ministry of Agriculture, therefore, by this press statement, notifies the general public that the twin goals of food safety and security are a shared responsibility, and all livestock farmers in the state must collaborate with the ministry’s veterinary doctors for the vaccination exercise.”
He also said that the ministry is working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the outbreak is prevented from the borders of Rivers State urging the public and especially livestock farmers involved in the rearing and sale of sheep, goats, pigs, cows and others to take advantage of the vaccination exercise by ensuring that the livestock on their farms are vaccinated with the Anthrax Spores Vaccines provided in all 23 local governments areas of the state.
Kii further advised the farmers to pay close attention to symptoms in animals which include high fever, weakness, bleeding from body openings and difficulty in breathing.
The commissioner also urged members of the public to exercise caution when buying animals by observing for signs of illness before slaughter, avoiding contact with meat or animal by-products from sick or dead animals, reporting any incidence of sudden animal death to the ministry’s veterinary department, and reporting any suspected case of the disease to the ministry.
