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Nigeria should mount sensitization campaigns against anthrax – Vet specialist
The Director of Veterinary Services in the Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Obi Patrick, has advocated early sensitisation of the citizens over the outbreak of the zoonotic disease, Anthrax.
Speaking to journalists, Patrick warned that the spread of the disease is rapid and knows no boundaries.
“There is a serious need to create awareness for Nigerians to know about the prevalence of the anthrax disease. Let members of the public know that there is a disease outbreak that has been reported and that they should be on alert.
To avert widespread attacks, he advised that people should now slow down their consumption of meat.
“For those who like to consume bush meat and hide (pomo), you have to slow down now or only eat hide from approved abattoirs where you are sure that the meats are inspected by officials of the state government,” he said.
He said before the outbreak of the disease, the department of veterinary services in the state Ministry of Agriculture had control posts where all the animals coming into the state were stopped and checked.
He said that with the news of an outbreak, they have intensified their surveillance to ensure that animals that were sick or dead were not allowed into Cross River.
“For those already in the state, livestock owners are advised to report any case of sick animals on their farms or at home to a Veterinary doctor or the department of veterinary services, nothing should be taken for granted.”
He explained that the obvious clinical signs of anthrax include dullness, going off feed, in a very short time; the animal becomes very sick and bleeds from its body openings without the blood clothing.
“Also, when the animal dies, its carcass does not become stiff; these are clear suspicions, but the final diagnosis is a laboratory examination which is done at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau,” he added.
By Sodiq Adelakun
The cholera outbreak in Lagos State has claimed 24 lives, according to the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi. Abayomi disclosed this on his Instagram handle on Friday, adding that 35 cases have been confirmed out of 417 suspected cases across 20 Local Government Areas in the state.
The Commissioner urged residents to maintain personal and environmental hygiene, emphasizing that cholera can be prevented with proper sanitation and hygiene practices.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingesting the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which can cause severe acute watery diarrhea and kill within hours if left untreated.
The World Health Organization has also reported a spike in cholera cases globally, with almost 195,000 cases and over 1,900 deaths reported in 24 countries since the start of 2024.
The Eastern Mediterranean Region has been the most affected, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the Southeast Asia Region, and the European Region.
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
As the Governor of Benue state Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) embark on a thank you tour across the 23 local government areas of the state to appreciate the Benue electorates for the overwhelming victory they gave him in the 2023 governorship election, the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties suffered serious set back with a total of 4,459 card carrying members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties dumped their parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State.
The mass defection took place on Tuesday in Sankera comprising of Logo, Ukum and Katsina Ala local government areas as well as Kwande and Ushongo local Government Areas on the first day of Governor Alia’s thank you tour.
Governor Alia thanked the people of Sankera for their overwhelming support during the 2023 governorship polls that made him victorious over other contenders.
Alia reiterated his administration resolve to return all the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of armed herdsmen attacks back to their ancestral homes to continue with their normal farming activities.
He expressed concern that Sankera which is the hub for yam production in the country, is greatly hit by the attacks by the armed bandits.
The Governor maintained that the issue of security is not the responsibility of government alone, and enjoined all and sundry to synergies with him to rid the state off attacks.
He urged the people to form cooperative societies through which they would receive farm inputs and other benefits from his administration to develop themselves to be self reliant.
The Governor dismissed the widespread reports that he had borrowed huge sums of money from foreign financial institutions to execute infrastructural projects in the state and announced the award of contract for the construction of the Sankera-Chito-Vaase road to help check the worsening insecurity situation bedeviling the area.
He revealed that he had contacted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assist the state construct more roads network in Sankera and has graciously approved the construction of the Katsina-Ala Head Bridge-Hausa Quarters/Victory Bible Church Wukari Junction; the Zaki-Biam Yam Market-Iwar Ior-Y Junction roads and urged the people to be patient with the President as he meant well for the state in the area of development projects.
Speaking on behalf of his constituents, the member representing Ukum, Logo and Ukum federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Solomon Wombo, endorsed Governor Alia for a second term.
Hon. Wombo said Sankera people have unanimously endorsed the governor to contest again because of the track record of achievements he has put on the sand of history within his one year in office which he said no governor of the state had ever recorded.
The federal lawmaker frowned at the growing insecurity situation bedeviling the area which he said is in dual fold including local militia and armed herdsmen and appealed to the governor to tackle the menace for the development of Sankera to enable residents go back to their farms.
Collaborating Hon. Wombo’s position, the governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Paul Biam, lauded the one year scorecard of the Alia’s administration which he noted have surpassed those of the immediate past governor.
Biam disclosed that the Alia’s administration has a programme of stomach infrastructure for the people after critical projects might have been attended to, to enable the people have the feel of government.
“After roads and other infrastructural development, the governor will resort to stomach infrastructure and the cries of hunger will be a thing of the past”.Biam assured.
In Kwande/Ushongo, Governor Alia also appreciated the people’s support to him, promised to reciprocate the gesture via the construction of the Adikpo-Mbape-Ada road to link the state to neighbouring Cross River state.
He commended chairman of the local government for lighting up Adikpo town within few days in office, but lamented the insecurity situation in the local government especially the armed herdsmen attacks and the illegal mining activities, and tasked traditional rulers to rise up by ensuring that anyone caught confronts the full wrath of the law.
The state Acting chairman of the APC, Mr. Benjamin Omakolo, urged the people to support the Alia’s administration to take the state to the next level of development.
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