The Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas-Adebayo, has charged vaccinators in the ongoing Anthrax Campaign in the State to be safety-conscious and work together as a team to achieve the objectives of the exercise.

Addressing the inoculators on Monday in Ilorin, the State capital, the Commissioner, who spoke through the Director of Personnel, Finance, and Supply of the Ministry, Yusuf Rafiu, urged them to be their brother’s keeper throughout the exercise.

He emphasized that the exercise became imperative to guard against zoonotic diseases in the State.

She said: “Anthrax is a bacterial zoonotic disease of economic and public health concern, affecting both animals and humans, with a high degree of morbidity and mortality.

“Anthrax has the tendency to spread through the trans-boundary movement of trade animals, mostly ruminants across States.

“To protect against its spread, the government initiated proactive measures toward mitigating its occurrence.”

Also speaking, the Director of Veterinary Services of the Ministry, Olugbon Abdullattef Saliman, admonished vaccinators to remain professional in discharging their duties, encouraging them to join hands and work together to achieve the set goals.

Olugbon also charged them to be diligent in ensuring that they cover all the livestock population in the state within the stipulated period.

In his remarks, the Director of Livestock, Muhammad Umar Ahmed, called on livestock farmers in the state to take advantage of the campaign by bringing their animals for vaccination.

He added that a team of veterinary personnel from the Ministry of Livestock Development had been deployed in all 16 Local Government Areas of the State to carry out the vaccination of animals.

Muhammad also stressed the need for the support and cooperation of Local Government Chairmen, Traditional Rulers, and other stakeholders to ensure the success of the exercise.

The Director also advised the inoculators to be steadfast, diligent, and committed, while exhibiting a high sense of professionalism during the exercise to ensure adequate coverage.