The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) on Monday urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency in the animal health sector to nip anthrax and other zoonotic diseases in the bud.

Olutoyin Adetuberu, national president of the association, made the call in an interview on the outbreak of anthrax in the West Africa sub-region of Northern Ghana bordering Burkina Faso, Togo, and Niger State.

Ms Adetuberu specifically tasked the government with the vaccination of animals in the 17 border states of the anthrax outbreak.

She listed some border states as Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, in the SouthWest, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ebonyi, and Cross River bordering Cameroon.

She said the adjoining states bordering the Niger Republic where vaccination should be carried out are Plateau, Gombe, Bauch, and Sokoto.

Ms Adetuberu called for massive employment of veterinary doctors nationwide to ensure effective vaccination of animals and disease detection, prevention, and control.

“If you want to protect lives and property, which is the primary responsibility of the government, you must employ veterinary doctors for disease detection, prevention, and control,’’ she said.

Ifeanyi Ogbu, chairman, FCT chapter of NVMA, urged the government to set up veterinary clinics at local government levels and employ veterinary doctors to fill up the clinics for easier accessibility and affordability of veterinary services.

“Many cannot afford private veterinary clinics because of charges; let there be government-owned veterinary clinics at the local government level for people to patronise.

“At the local level, we can pick up samples, report this disease and other diseases and save this country.

“Any nation that waits until diseases attack its citizens is a failed state,’’ he said.

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis that affects animals and humans.

Signs and symptoms of anthrax, which depend on how one is infected, include skin sores, vomiting, and shock.

At the moment, there is a reported case of anthrax on a farm in Suleja, Niger State.

(NAN)