The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Veterinarians

  • Prioritise food security, disease control, veterinarians tell govts

    Prioritise food security, disease control, veterinarians tell govts

    Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA)has called for need to prioritise food security and combat zoonotic diseases.

    President, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, spoke at the Leadership Summit/Investiture of NVMA.

     Arokoyo stressed importance of deploying veterinarians to support disease surveillance and intervention.

    Pointing out potential repercussions of a single disease outbreak, Arokoyo outlined how veterinarians could contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

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     “Veterinarians can contribute N420 billion to GDP. We’re talking about positioning veterinary… We have a role to play in development and food security”, he said.

    The NVMA president, who advocated increased veterinarian employment to ensure livestock welfare and food security, appealed for support and empowerment.

    President of Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN), Aishatu Baju, reiterated the commitment to reposition the veterinary profession to align with the nation’s development objectives.

  • Veterinarians confirm outbreak of animal diseases

    Veterinarians confirm outbreak of animal diseases

    Innocent Duru

    The conference of Southwest Directors of Veterinary services has confirmed the outbreak of two Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) in the region.

    The TADs are the African Swine fever in pigs and Anthrax in herbivores.

    A statement  by the Chairman of the conference, Dr. Taiwo Jolaoso, stated that TADs are contagious epidemic diseases of livestock that have the potential to spread rapidly across the globe with negative socio-economic and public health consequences, and require collaboration of different countries to curtail.

    The statement further said that “all affected farms and slaughter slabs have been decontaminated and disinfected  while modalities relating to issuance of movement permits in the region are being worked out.”

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    The release added that public awareness would be intensified among high risk groups such as butchers, hunters, animal product processors and marketers, as well as livestock farmers to further check the spread.

    The conference advised all the pig farmers to improve on their biosecurity measures and refrain from stocking their farms and for the Anthrax, they implored all stakeholders “to avoid contact with sick or dead animals especially if it oozes blood from the orifices while such cases should be reported to the nearest veterinary office.”