By; ISAAC ODEH, Kaduna
Worried by the abuse of antibiotics in livestock, a Non-governmental organization (NGO) under the auspices of Alliance for Sustainable Livestock (ASL) has commenced campaign on antimicrobial resistance which it said is harmful to humans.
The campaign which took place in 19 locations in Kaduna State educated various producers and sellers of livestock in the State with a view to addressing the global pandemic.
The Project Officer, ASL, Dr. Latifah Abdulkarim during a visit at the Waff Road Chicken Market in Kaduna metropolis, said,
“We organized the campaign with support from SAC Center, Geneva to create awareness on antimicrobial resistance, because we have a global pandemic where antibiotics are no longer working for people and when you use it subsequently, it does not seem to work”.
She noted that there is also an animal health perspective where the use of antibiotics is abused leading to animal’s habouring resistant bacteria in them.
“We come in contact with animals and when we come in contact with produce from these animals like meat, milk and eggs which are not properly processed; those bacteria come in contact human, so when you get an infection like typhoid, you will discover that the drug will not work because the bacteria are presently resistant.
“Also, just coming in contact with the feces of the animal that is used for manure to grow crops consumed by humans, anyone that eats the crops comes in contact with the resistant bacteria. That means from all fronts, we are coming in contact with the bacteria.”
She said the organisation recently trained community animal health workers on antimicrobial resistance saying, adding that they are doing a step down campaign in communities where they work for livestock farmers in order to create awareness on the need to vaccinate more.
“There is no way to identify infected produce which is a very big problem and it is just like your fate is in the hands of the farmers and sellers and that is why they have to be aware and conscious. As a person, what you can do to prevent antimicrobial resistance is to take your drugs properly when you are given antibiotics”.
Responding, the Chairman, Waff Road Chicken Sellers Association, Bala Namanu said even though they just buy and sell chicken on a daily basis, he hoped it will be a stepping stone to addressing the challenges in the livestock business to provide safe and quality produce for the consumption of the masses, he added.
He then commended the association for bringing the awareness to their door steps and called on his members to use the knowledge they have gained to sustain their business and livelihoods.
