Anthrax outbreak in Builsa North

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has placed a ban on the slaughter and movement of livestock in the Builsa North District due to an outbreak of Anthrax.

A report signed by the Builsa North District Director of Agriculture, Dr Stephen Degbor, indicated that on July 10, 2013 the directorate had a report  about the mysterious death of 39 sheep from Wiaga in the Builsa North District.

He said a team from the District Veterinary Unit was dispatched to Wiaga and took a census of the number of dead sheep. A carcass was picked and taken to the regional veterinary laboratory for analysis and the cause of death of the animal was found to be Anthrax.

He said the carcass of the sheep was incinerated and letters written to inform the  Builsa North District Chief Executive, the Regional Director of MoFA, the Regional Veterinary Officer, the District NADMO Officer, the District Police Commander, the GPRTU Chairman, the District Environmental Health Officer, Chairman of the Butchers Association and the chairman of meat processors association.

"Letters were sent to the District Health Management Team, the District Director of Health and Medical Directors of Sandema and St. Lucas Health centres at Wiaga to inform them of the outbreak so as to put Anthrax in their purview in case some animals might have picked the spore and died elsewhere without the notice of the veterinary services and the meat found its way into the food chain of humans,” he stated.

Dr Degbor said a vaccination exercise was immediately undertaken within the outbreak area and as at July 16, 2013, a total of 207 cattle, 821 sheep, 394 goats, 57 donkeys and 70 pigs had been vaccinated.

When contacted, the Upper East Regional Director of the Veterinary Services Department of the MoFA, Dr Moses Gbordzi, confirmed the outbreak of the disease but said there were no human casualties and that the vaccination team encountered some logistical challenges during the exercise.

He mentioned some of the challenges as inadequate staff, motorbikes and fuel, adding that people were also reluctant to bring their animals for vaccination due to a token that they had to pay for the vaccines.

Dr Gbordzi suggested that the district assembly in collaboration with the MoFA  could offer the vaccines free to serve as  motivation for the animal farmers to patronise the vaccination exercise.

By Alhandu Abdul-Hamid, WIAGA
Daily graphic/graphic.com.gh
Ghana