PUNCH
NIGERIANS, much endeared to eating cowhides (ponmo in local parlance) and bushmeat, should take the latest official health advisory on the deadly anthrax disease with the utmost seriousness. In an ominous alert, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warned that following an outbreak of anthrax in some neighbouring West African countries, Nigerians should shun these meats. It highlighted the dangers associated with consuming ponmo, smoked meat and bushmeat, having been linked to the disease in northern Ghana, Togo, and Burkina Faso. For many Nigerians, this is likely a bitter pill to swallow as these ‘yummies’ are widely consumed across the country.
Cow skin especially, is the staple of the masses, because of its relative cheapness, and in a country where 133 million are ‘multi-dimensionally poor,’ often the only meat that many can afford. Bushmeat is also popular in the rural areas.
A rare ailment, anthrax is a zoonotic disease – it affects animals and man. The bacterial disease is transmitted to humans when they are exposed to infected animals or when they consume the contaminated meat of such livestock. Mammals cited include cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and antelopes. Meat from these animals is widely consumed in Nigeria. The authorities therefore have a tough battle on their hands.
Health experts state that anthrax often re-emerges at the onset of the wet season. This is concerning because the rainy season is now in full swing. The ministry named Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos states, whose borders are not far from Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Togo, as the most vulnerable to an outbreak in Nigeria. Prevention is the best antidote. Therefore, the FMARD, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the states’ health ministries must step up efforts to prevent the disease from infiltrating the country.
