Nigeria Confirms First Anthrax ('Ponmo Disease') Case

It is about three weeks now since the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) is appealing to Nigerians to desist from the consumption of hides (ponmo), smoked meat and bush meat due to the outbreak of Anthrax in some neighboring countries. Anthrax which some are now referrring to as 'the ponmo disease' is a bacterial disease that affects both animals and man and has already claimed some lives.

At about three weeks ago when FMARD sounded the alarm, there were no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax in Nigeria, and it was simply being done a preventive measure and cry of caution. Now the disease which had at first been only affecting our neighboring countries like Northern Ghana bordering Burkina Faso and Togo, has now entered into Nigeria as the first case of Anthrax has now been confirmed in the nation. Here is the latest on this anthrax case.

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Anthrax is now in Nigeria. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the case happened on a farm in Suleja, Niger State.

Immediately, a rapid response team was sent out there consisting of federal and state health professionals where a preliminary investigation was done and samples were collected from sick animals. According to the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr. Columba T. Vakuru:

DR. VAKURU: The case was in a multi-specie animal farm comprising of cattle, sheep and goats located at Gajiri, along Abuja-Kaduna express way Suleja LGA Niger State, where some of the animals had symptoms including oozing of blood from their body openings – anus, nose, eyes and ears.

A Rapid Response team comprising of federal and states One Health Professional Team visited the farm to conduct preliminary investigations and collected samples from the sick animals. Subsequent laboratory tests by the National Veterinary Research Institute laboratory confirmed the diagnosis, marking the first recorded case of anthrax in Nigeria in recent years

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) advices Nigerians to exercise caution when buying livestock especially from states bordering Benin, Chad, Niger, Ghana, and Togo. They also added that livestock should be carefully observed for signs of sickness bebfore slaughtering. For livestock owners, FMARD advices vaccination of animals as the most effective preventive measure against the anthrax disease.

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