The Federal Government has supported Edo State and other states in the Southsouth with over 1.8 million animal vaccines to curtail the spread of trans-boundary diseases in Nigeria.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar, stated this at the opening of the 2022 Nationwide Free Mass Vaccination Campaign against Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) in Benin, Edo State.
Abubakar, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ernest Umakhihe, lamented that TADs, such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Newcastle Disease (ND), were affecting the livestock population.
He noted that animals ought to be adequately vaccinated to achieve the much-desired herd immunity for prevention, control and possibly eradication.
According to him, livestock production was a major means of livelihood in Nigeria, employing about 70 per cent of the country’s population, providing food nutrition and security, as well as providing a means of livelihood for the majority of rural dwellers.
The minister said the ministry has policies and national programmes for the control of these diseases, while it is the policy for routine vaccination for all diseases.
He said: “It is our policy, as a country, not to vaccinate against the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as Bird flu. Over the years, the policy of CBPP, FMD, PPR and ND control in Nigeria has been routine annual vaccination; however, the vaccination coverage has been limited by inadequate resources. But going forward, we intend to scale up vaccination coverage as more resources become available.”
The minister urged development partners and non-governmental organisations to key into the initiative by supporting the states with more vaccines and the logistics needed to carry out the mass vaccination in the country.