The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Western Bahr el Ghazal State disclosed that it has so far vaccinated more than one hundred thousand head of cattle and about eighty thousand goats and sheep against a suspected anthrax outbreak across the state.
The campaign that kicked off last month is being supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and administered by the state health and agriculture ministries.
According to the state’s minister of agriculture and animal resources, Arkangelo Augustino Futur, the massive campaign is a response to reports of an outbreak of a deadly disease that has killed many animals, particularly in Jur River County.
“We have our team deployed in many locations and they reported to us that there is an unknown outbreak of a disease that just kills animals,” he explained. “This started in January this year and I formed a committee led by the Department of Livestock to carry out investigations in cattle, goats, and even birds. We made a report to the National Ministry of Animal Resources and FAO in Juba.”
Minister Futur added: “Laboratory technicians from Juba, accompanied by a doctor from here, took samples from 42 cattle here (Wau) and 40 samples from Raja, and until now these samples are in the national laboratory but the results are not yet out.”
He said the emergency response by his ministry and FAO was to conduct the ongoing vaccination campaign which commenced in July.
“The total number of animals vaccinated against suspected anthrax is now 130,000 in Raja, Jur River, and Wau counties,” he reported. “We also vaccinated them against cough and flu.”
Futur advised the public not to panic because his ministry is working closely with FAO to control the disease.