ANTHRAX Outbreak In Nigeria: All You Need To Know

??Anthrax is another significant zoonose (Zoonotic disease - Animal to Human disease) with high morbidity and death, similar to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as negative socioeconomic and health implications in the communities it ravages. Anthrax cases have been reported in several African countries, mainly in those where animal rearing is prevalent. Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, can produce spores that can survive in the environment for long periods of time, making it a chronic hazard in some regions.

??The Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria was notified on July 14, 2023, of livestock exhibiting indications of a possible case of anthrax in a farm in Suleja, Niger State which led to investigation and final confirmation of Anthrax on the farm. This Anthrax case occurred in a multi-species animal farm consisting of cattle, sheep, and goats located at Gajiri, along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway Suleja LGA Niger State, where some of the animals displayed symptoms such as oozing blood from their body openings - anus, nose, eyes, and ears.

??People get infected with anthrax when spores get into the body. When this happens, the spores can be activated and become anthrax bacteria. Then the bacteria can multiply, spread out in the body, produce toxins (poisons), and cause severe illness.

??Anthrax is NOT contagious. You cannot catch anthrax from another person the way you might catch a cold or the flu. In rare cases, person-to-person transmission has been reported with cutaneous anthrax, where discharges from skin lesions might be infectious.

??Possible, future recommendations to combat and reduce the risk of an outbreak are cattle vaccinations, health education, and awareness campaigns among farmers to safely dispose of dead animals and avoid handling or eating meat from livestock that died of unknown causes. Moreover, integration, cooperation, strengthening links, and promotion of interdisciplinary between sectors will enhance preventative control measures under one health approach.

??Additionally, this will prevent outbreaks by addressing the root cause of exposures such as food insecurity. Furthermore, providing post-exposure antimicrobial prophylaxis for all exposed individuals averts the spread of anthrax. Most importantly, more studies are warranted to redefine both low and high-risk areas for anthrax in Africa, based on improved surveillance.

??The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development hereby encourages all livestock owners to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious illness or deaths in their animals and ? To avoid contact with sick or dead animals and their products?

?. To exercise caution when buying animals - cows, camels, sheep, goats, and other livestock - from Nigerian states bordering Benin, Chad, and Niger, and from Ghana and Togo via waterways.?

? Not slaughter animals at home, but rather make use of abattoirs or slaughter slabs.?

? To avoid contact with meat/bush meat or animal by-products such as skin hides (“pomo”), and milk of a sick or dead animal

? Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure against anthrax in livestock. Consult with a veterinarian to develop a vaccination schedule suitable for your specific livestock.