SUSPECTED ANTHRAX KILLS COW IN BORNO STATE

SUSPECTED ANTHRAX KILLS COW IN BORNO STATE

By: Bodunrin Kayode

A suspected case of anthrax disease may have killed a cow in the farm center of a church withheld within the University of Maiduguri.

University sources told this reporter that, though they could not tell immediately if antrax killed the animal, samples of the suspected animal have been taken for confirmatory testing at the National Veterinary Research Institute.

Also speaking with this reporter, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Ballah Denue, said that the area where the dead cow was found has been sprayed and clinical moves have been made to ensure that whatever it is that killed the animal is not spread to the university community.

“Whatever we have seen, I believe is an isolated case; as I told you, it belongs to a church community, and I don’t believe it is a threat to the university community. Actually, I am a clinician for infectious diseases, and I was summoned to assess the situation, which I did. It occurred at a farm center attached to a church, but we have been able to bring the entire situation under control by spraying the environment.

“I don’t expect anyone to panic at all; it’s still a suspected case, but we are not taking anything for granted even as it is under investigation, and if you are investigating something, it could turn out to be anything, even negative,” said Professor Denue.

Equally, the Borno state ministry of health has triggered a red alert among health managers and partners to ensure that extra care is taken in the handling of the suspicion.

Making the announcement in Maiduguri Tuesday afternoon, a top ministry official said that the anthrax was reported at a farm center inside the University of Maiduguri (unimaid) after a cow mysteriously died.

He called on the management of theq ministry to do the needful by setting up all machinery in place for immediate response in case the test turns out to be positive.

SUSPECTED ANTHRAX KILLS COW IN BORNO STATE