Authorities in Kaugama Local Government Area of Jigawa State have launched a vaccination exercise for more than 3,000 livestock following reports of a lung-related disease affecting animals in some communities.
A total of 3,105 animals are expected to receive the vaccines as part of efforts to contain the outbreak and protect the livelihoods of livestock owners.
The council’s Head of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nasir Ibrahim, announced the intervention on Saturday while flagging off the exercise.
He said the vaccination programme would be implemented across communities where cases had been recorded, with the possibility of expanding it to other areas depending on developments.
Ibrahim said the reported cases were traced to Cumbuleske, Ganuwa and Rigar Kwagga, where 2,045 cattle and 1,060 sheep and goats have been identified for vaccination.
“The local government council has procured vaccines and other necessary logistics to forestall future occurrence and spread of the disease,” Ibrahim said.
He noted that pulmonary disease could affect animals through bacterial pneumonia associated with viral infections, often resulting in coughing and difficulty breathing.
“Parasites such as lungworms and toxic environmental factors including herbicide toxicity can also cause severe lung damage in livestock,” he added.
The agriculture official assured that the council would continue observing the situation and deploy the vaccination programme to more communities if the need arises.
The Chairman of the Kautal-Hore Association, Sha’aibu Adamu, commended the council for acting after receiving reports from herders about the affected animals.
“We appreciate the council chairman for his quick response to save our livestock, which is our only source of livelihood,” Adamu said.
A livestock owner, Umaru Bello, said the intervention was timely, explaining that some cattle in the community had already developed symptoms.
“Many of our cows were coughing and struggling to breathe; we thank the local government for bringing this vaccine to our community,” Bello said.
Another beneficiary, Maigari Alto, said the vaccination would help reduce the impact of the disease on pastoralists who had already suffered losses.
“We have lost some animals before this exercise; this vaccination will help us protect the remaining ones,” he stated.