FAO-trained veterinarians deployed to states to curb animal diseases

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), on Wednesday said that the state veterinarians it trained on control and reporting of animal diseases would help mitigate national, regional and global spread of disease, improve health security and food production.

FAO said the 30 trainees from State Veterinary Services have learnt and practised skills in disease surveillance and reporting, field investigation disease, prevention, risk communication and professional ethics within the last four months, would make a significant contribution to sustainable development of Nigeria and Africa.

The Assistant FAO Representative (Programs), Dr Abubakar Suleiman, said this at the graduation of the first cohort In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) programme in Abuja.

Suleiman who said the in-service training model was designed for rapid translation of impact to the national veterinary services, said the beneficiaries of the training are already making positive impacts to animal health in their states.

“This first cohort of ISAVET trainees in Nigeria is part of a much larger group of beneficiaries in 14 countries across Africa, forming a highly skilled workforce equipped to overcome critical threats at the interface between human, animal and environmental health.

“These trained frontline veterinary field officers are set to make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of Nigeria and Africa, helping to mitigate the national, regional and global spread of disease and improve health security and food production.

“We at FAO are very pleased with this because the in-service training model was designed for rapid translation of impact to the national veterinary services”, he said.

While expressing optimism, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, said the trainees would contribute in no small measure to the surveillance, early detection and control of zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases in Nigeria.

Represented by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Olaniran Alabi, the Minister urged the trainees to put to use what they have learnt in their day to day activities.

“Controlling these diseases and limiting their impact is determined by our ability as a nation to predict, detect and respond in a timely manner.

“This could not have come at a better time than now considering the emergence and re-emergence of diseases of significant public health and socio-economic importance such as bird flu, foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, rabies and Ebola”, he added.

Also the National Project Coordinator at FAO, Dr. Ayo Majekodunmi said the overall goal is to improve health security and food production in Nigeria.

Her words: “What we are really looking at is to measure the impact, the difference that they are having within the State Veterinary Services in their different states, the impact that they’re having on local farmers, or local food producers and animals.

“They have also undergone three months of practical field training back at their stations, and this in-service training model allows them to have practical training, but it also allows them to immediately start making impacts in their areas of practice and the acoustics right from the beginning”.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the training is part of FAO’s technical support to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), to detect and control animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases, which also affect humans.

The programme is supported by Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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