Disease outbreak: Several cattle killed in Kaduna state

·       El-Rufai approves 10m for control

Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai

An animal disease suspected to be Contagious Bovine Pleuro Pneumonia (CBPP) has recently killed a huge number of cattle in some parts of the Kaduna state just as government has approved  10 million naira to ensure prevention of  its further spread.

This was confirmed by the state Information Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Malam Dahiru Abdullahi who said that the outbreak has already manifested by killing cattle in communities like Kachia, Kagarko and Anchau local government areas of the state, but added action is already going on against containment to other parts  and the nature of the  disease.

Abdullahi said: “There were reported cases of the animal disease in parts of the state. The Veterinary Department of the ministry has begun an investigation and blood samples of some affected cows had been taken for a laboratory test to ascertain the nature of the disease.”

The official, however, said that experts in animal diseases were already working round the clock to ensure it did not spread to other parts of the state.

Also, an animal expert in the ministry, Dr. Samuel Dogo in a telephone conservations with foodfarmnews said that state officials had since swung into action to ensure containment and vaccination of the other animals against further infection and spread as the state governor, Mallam El-Rufai had given 10 million naira approval to ensure the success of the exercise.

 Dr. Samuel Dogo said ‘’ we are already on top of the situation as the governor has already approved over N10m for the containment of the disease, and all the relevant stakeholders had met in the state including the Fulani heads during a zonal meeting that was held with them and we had also vaccinated more than 1500 cows across the state.

A Fulani herder, Malam Suleiman Adamu told newsmen that the disease had so far killed more than 100 cattle in his own family alone at Kilometre 60, Doka Ward, Kachia Local Government Area, in the last three weeks. He however expressed concern with the slow pace of measures being taken by the state government to tackle the contagious disease.

Another pastoralist, Malam Muhammed Dauji, who lives at Gadan Malam Mamman, a community also in Kachia local government area, said in a separate interview that they had lost 40 cows to the disease.