Plateau State Government on Saturday announced that two communities in the state had been hit by suspected cases of the anthrax disease.
The government disclosed this in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, and made available to journalists.
According to the statement. which was silent on the name of the affected communities, the government directed the epidemiology unit of the Ministry of Health and the veterinary unit of the Ministry of Agriculture to address the issues with every sense of urgency.
It added that samples had been taken to National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, for thorough assessment and further investigation.
The government, however, dismissed media reports that over 1,000 cows died of a strange disease within four days in some villages in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
“The story is based on hearsay, and there is no credible source that has authenticated the story, which has created tension in the affected communities.
“However, there are two suspected cases of anthrax disease in two communities in the state. The samples have been taken to National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, for thorough assessment and further investigation,” the statement added.
Pig dies of suspected disease in Benue
Meanwhile, fear has gripped residents of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, over the report of a suspected case of anthrax disease.
A livestock farmer in Judges Quarters had reported on social media that his animals exhibited the symptoms of the deadly disease.
“I woke up and one of my pigs died with black liquid flowing from its nose. According to the warnings by the Federal Government that’s a symptom of anthrax. I got a veterinary doctor who came and did some checks and confirmed symptoms from the rest,” he stated.
While speaking to journalists on the phone, the man who identified himself as John Ayase, said, “The pig has been showing symptoms of sickness since April but someone had been treating it.
“Last week, the pig started rejecting food. Yesterday, we noticed that the pig was weak, so we gave it food. I have other pigs and goats. Last night, we fed them and went to bed.
“This morning, when we woke up and went there, it wasn’t dead but it was almost gone. It was bleeding from the nose. I called a veterinary doctor who told me that it was anthrax.
“He told me to get a facemask and bury the pig. I told myself that from what I had been reading about anthrax, I won’t go close to it. That was when I made the post.”
As of the time of filing this report, Ayase said officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had visited his residence, taken samples, and disposed of the dead pig.
However, the Director of Public Health Services in the state Ministry of Health, Dr Igbagbul Agela, said that the ministries of health, agriculture, and environment already had a committee in place and had swung into action and located the resident.
He said, “Yes, they were able to see little traces of bleeding from its nostrils but that could be from the struggles but we cannot preempt anything until the laboratory diagnosis. Thank God the samples have been taken, we are awaiting the results before we can categorically say if we have anthrax at hand in the state.
https://punchng.com/benue-residents-panic-as-anthrax-hits-plateau
