…To train 60 veterinarians to tackle animal, zoonotic diseases
By BENJAMIN ORISEMEKE, Abuja –
As part of its efforts to assist Nigeria in improving animal disease surveillance and reporting, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has presented a 2022 Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) work plan for Nigeria.
This is even as it will be training 60 veterinarians to tackle animal and zoonotic disease across the country.
Speaking during the presentation in Abuja on Wednesday, FAO National Coordinator ECTAD Nigeria, Ayodele Majekodunmi, said huge impact was made in improving disease surveillance and reporting last year and stressed the need to expand the reach to more states and private sector.
According to Majekodunmi, the 60 Veterinarians to be trained are in addition to the thirty cohorts of frontline veterinarians trained and deployed by the FAO’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) across 26 states last year to tackle emergency animal diseases and improve food safety.
“As part of its support for Nigeria’s food safety and security, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) yesterday announced plan to train 60 veterinarians through its ongoing In-Service Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) to detect and control animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases that can affect humans”, she said.
She noted that the training which designed to enhance their skills and competencies to manage emerging health emergencies in animals through animal surveillance, field investigation and reporting will enable the organisation to plan and take action in response to animal health emergencies.
She said, “This year, we are planning to train another 60 veterinarians on the same training to cover the whole country and to also involve veterinarians from private sectors.
The significance is that animal diseases are happening out there and it’s only diseases cases that we know about that we can respond to, treat and prevent. So having that information coming from the veterinarians at field work about what is happening and when is very important to strategize, plan on how we can prevent diseases and improve animal health, food production and safety for human beings”.
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