Fears of Rinderpest re-emergence thickens as Laboratories still retain sample virus
FAO task Nigeria stockholders on sustained vigilance, surveillance
July 4th, 2017, Abuja - Advocacy to reduce the risk of Rinderpest re-emergence has continued to gain traction, as livestock stakeholders in Nigeria have been tasked by the Food and Agriculture of Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to contribute to monitoring and promptly report any warning signals of the animal disease.
Rinderpest was one of devastating infectious Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) that caused the death of millions of cattle, buffaloes and several wild animal species over centuries. After more than a century of hard work across the world, the disease was declared globally eradicated in 2011. However, the virus is still stored in a number of laboratories posing a reintroduction risk for the virus into cattle grazing grounds and create possibilities of dissemination into wider areas.
To ensure that awareness is entrenched, FAO in collaboration with the Nigeria government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), hosted a Livestock stakeholders' strategic communication meeting on Tuesday July 4th, 2017 in Abuja, to create awareness on the importance of disease recognition and timely reporting for early warning.
At the Seminar in Abuja, FAO Senior Animal Health Officer, Secretariat of Rinderpest Dr. Samia Metwally said, "While assuring livestock handlers that FAO is finalizing a Global Rinderpest Action Plan (GRAP) including the operational framework for vaccine reserve to prepare and immediately respond to and recover from the re-emergence of rinderpest if ever comes back, it is better to be aware of the devastating effect of the disease and maintain effective surveillance to forestall its re-emergence."
The Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services in the FMARD, Dr. Gideon Mshebwala, confirmed the awareness activity facilitated by FAO is to ensure effective monitoring and vigilance over the emergence of crisis, saying that countries must "continue to monitor and discuss the disease towards achieving emergency preparedness capacity in the Country and to maintain the global freedom from Rinderpest".
Some cattle breeders at the meeting admitted that there are some other transboundary animal diseases (TADs) that currently burden the pastoralists' livestock in the country, like foot and mouth disease.
Participants at the meeting incorporated government officials in the Veterinary and animal husbandry department, cattle breeders associations in Nigeria, female pastoralists and private practitioners in veterinary and Animal husbandry.
Implementation of the communication campaign will start beginning of September 2017, on recognition of the disease and what to do if there is a suspected case of rinderpest: isolate the affected animal and immediately report to the veterinary authorities.
FAO had warned that the TADs can be easily spread to other countries with unpleasant economic, trade, food security impacts. To avert the devastating socio-economic effects therefore, effective control and management is required between countries. The most common TADs include Foot-and-mouth disease, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, lumpy skin disease, sheep and goat pox, peste des petits ruminants, African swine fever, rabies and brucellosis.
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David Tsokar
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