FAO strengthens partnership with FG to control spread of Anthrax in Nigeria

<h2></h2>, <h2>The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) have expressed their readiness to partner to check and control the spread of Anthrax disease in the country.</h2>, <p>FAO ECTAD Country Team Lead, noted that the partnership needs to be enhanced within the context of the One Health approach, and efforts would be sustained using a strong team of frontline experts, to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of the country.</p>, <span>FAO strengthens partnership with FG to control spread of Anthrax in NigeriaCDC</span>, <p>Their partnership followed the anxiety created over the emergence of anthrax outbreak in Nigeria, following the report of two recently confirmed cases in Lagos State. The Communications Officer FAO Nigeria, David Tsokar, made this known in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 in Abuja.</p>, <p>According to the statement, on July 13, a suspected case of Anthrax was reported in a mixed farm at Sabon Wuse, Niger State and a rapid response team was deployed by the Federal Government to collect samples and send to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Vom, Plateau.</p>, <p>The presence of the disease was confirmed by the team and consequently, FMARD announced Government’s plan to intervene and control its possible spread.</p>, <p>Tsokar said the Director, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, (FDVPCS) in FMARD, Dr. Columba Vakuru, said the strategy of interventions include to quarantine the affected farm.</p>, <p>Other measures include the vaccination of susceptible animals around the infected farm, educating farm workers using the One-health approach, and planning statewide vaccination of susceptible animals.</p>, <p>The FAO Nigeria, through the Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) was requested to provide the technical and financial support to the intervention strategy.</p>, <p>This has to be on logisti