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Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in Charge of Crops, Yaw Frimpong Addo, has urged Ghanaian meat lovers to stop or reduce meat intake following anthrax disease out in Ghana.
It started in the northern part of the country and the government in an attempt to stop the spread and avoid human infection banned transportation of such animals from affected areas to any other part of the country.
But on Monday 12th June, of this year, Environmental Health Officers at the Awuku Senya East Assembly ceased some roasted meet which has been transported from the Northern part to the part of the country.
This has created fear and panic among the public, particularly meat eaters.
But the Deputy Minister in an interview with Adom FM’s late Political talk hosted by Akua Boakyewaa Yiadom on Mondays and Wednesdays said there’s no cause for alarm as the disease is not wild spread and government has put all her machineries together to insure the spread does not get out of hands.
“It is a worrying situation but it can be contained easily and that’s what out men are on the grounds doing and we are raising the alarm too much because the produces put in place, we shall contain it.”
The Manso Edubia legislature also admits that there is the need for massive education on the anthrax disease to create public awareness.
“There is the need to increase education but we must reduce our love for meat,” the minister advised.
“So far, over 90 animals have died as a results of the outbreak and over 20,000 animals have been affected. Talensi and binduri has most affected animals.”
“Telensi has 1,915 cattle, 3,015 sheep, 1836 goats, 375 pigs which sim up to 7,141.
Total number of cases in Binduri is 9,485, Bolgatanga Municipal has 2,468 cases. Bawku- west 1957, Bawku municipal has 212, Kasena North East has 1, Bongo district 8 cases, followed by Garu district with 17 cases” bringing the total number of affected animals to 21,000 the minister said.
The Deputy Minister said measures have been put in place in containing the outbreak saying “some 200,000 vaccines have been allocated to affected areas and a ban, imposed on transferring animals from affected areas to non-affected areas as a way of managing the outbreak.
Meanwhile Deputy Ranking Member of Health Committee in Parliament, Mark Kurt Nawane on same show stated that the effort government claimed it has put in place is not enough to help contained the spread of the virus.
“We need to double pour effort to avoid animal to human infection, you know, the anthrax disease we are talking about, could be used as a biological warfare so government must act faster so we do start recording anthrax in human because if we should get there, it will be great disaster,” he noted.
NKONKONSA.com
