The Federal Government reported one case of Anthrax disease in a mixed livestock farm in Niger State on Monday.
This is the first animal case recorded in Nigeria since the epidemic began in Ghana in June 2023.
The apex government said further investigation was also ongoing to trace the source of the infection and to identify the spread to other farms and humans.
The risk assessment undertaken by the human health sector revealed that the chance of an anthrax epidemic in the country is considerable, as is the possible impact of the disease on humans.
The following are some essential facts concerning the disease that affects both humans and animals:
1. Anthrax is a potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. It can harm humans as well as animals, including wild animals and livestock such as cows, pigs, camels, lambs, and goats. The bacteria, which live as spores, can be found in sick animals’ soil, wool, or hair.
2. Anthrax spores are resistant to severe temperatures and can remain in the soil or environment for decades, making it difficult to control or eradicate the disease. Wet weather, deep digging, or eating livestock or wild animals while grazing bring the spores to the surface.
3. Anthrax affects humans through skin infection (Direct contact with infected animals through wounds or cuts); gastrointestinal (Through eating raw or undercooked meat of infected animals or their products including milk); and inhalation (breathing in the spores).
4. In animals, anthrax can cause symptoms such as high fever, weakness, loss of appetite, bleeding from all body openings (nose, mouth, ears, anus, etc.), swelling and difficulty in breathing, and bloody diarrhoea. It can lead to sudden death in most cases. The blood of an animal with anthrax does not clot on slaughter. Also, at slaughter, marked bloating and quick decay are observed.
5. In humans, depending on the type and route of infection, anthrax can cause fever, painless skin sores with a black centre that appears after the blisters, general body weakness, and difficulty in breathing. It can also cause severe digestive illness that resembles food poisoning.
6. Veterinarians, veterinary laboratory workers, farmers, abattoir workers, butchers, cattle rearers, livestock producers and traders, wildlife handlers, hunters, park rangers, processors, importers, and exporters of hide and skin, animal health workers are at risk of contracting anthrax.
7. People who consume animals (cattle, sheep, and goats) that were found dead, healthcare workers, diagnostic laboratory workers, and caregivers who are exposed to patients or their biological specimens are also at risk of contracting anthrax.
8. Law enforcement officers (Police, Military, Immigration, Customs, Point of Entry Personnel) and anyone travelling to a location with a confirmed anthrax case within and outside Nigeria are at risk of contracting anthrax.
9. Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure against anthrax in livestock.
10. Ensure a clean and safe water supply for livestock and avoid using water from stagnant sources.
11. Practice biosecurity measures, such as controlling access to the farm, restricting the movement of animals, and disinfecting vehicles and equipment entering and leaving the premises.
12. Sick animals should be isolated and strict quarantine measures implemented to prevent the spread of anthrax to other animals or humans.
13. Exercise caution when buying cows, camels, sheep, goats, and other livestock from Nigerian states bordering Benin, Chad, and Niger, and from Ghana and Togo via waterways.
14. Do not slaughter animals (cattle, sheep, and goats) at home, rather make use of abattoirs or slaughter slabs.
15. Avoid contact with meat/bush meat or animal by-products such as skin, hides (ponmo), and milk of a sick or dead animal.
16. Do not slaughter sick animals. Slaughtering the sick animal can cause significant exposure with the risk of inhalation of the bacteria by humans around at the time.
17. Do not eat products from sick or dead animals.
18. Carefully observe livestock to be slaughtered for consumption or sale for signs of ill health before slaughter.
19. If you suspect that you or an animal may have been exposed to anthrax, quickly seek immediate medical care or call the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s hotline at +234 811 097 2378 or the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline at 6232.
20. Doctors have several options for treating patients with anthrax, including antibiotics and antitoxins. Patients with serious cases of anthrax need to be hospitalised. They may require aggressive treatment, such as continuous fluid drainage and help breathing through mechanical ventilation.