Kaduna State Government says it has commenced fumigation and de-worming programme to curtail the spread of horse flu in the state.
Dr Samuel Tanko Dogo, State Director, Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna.
Dogo said the measure was taken to curtail the spread of Equine Influenza or Horse Flu, which had killed two horses and kept 17 others under quarantine.
“On April 8, the ministry wrote to all stakeholders and owners of Horses, including the Emirate Councils, on the disinfectant and de-worming programme.
“The state government later set up a committee with representatives of all stakeholders and the programme commenced across all the local councils and Emirate Councils in the state,” he said.
According to him, the programme is ongoing in the Emirate Councils where such animals are in high concentration, especially in Zazzau Emirate, Birnin Gwari, Jema’a, Jere, Lere, Jaba and Kagoro areas in the state.
“It is also ongoing in TRAPCCO, 5th Chucker, where most Horses use for Polo games are housed as well as the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and the Nigeria Police Force settlement in the state.”
He said that the programme would help to ascertain the number of Horses and Donkeys in the state to enable the state government procure vaccines for their vaccination, shortly after the ongoing fumigation.
The director said the two horses that died were out of the 19 horses affected by the flu, adding that the other 17 horses were responding to treatment in Igabi and Zaria Local Government Areas.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Igabi and Zaria Local Government Areas are homes to thousands of horses used for Polo Games and for Durbar Race during Sallah by the Zazzau Emirate.
Veterinary experts had earlier advised the state government to quickly tackle the Flu to prevent the flu from endangering Horses from different countries that attend the annual Kaduna International Polo Competition.
The annual event also attracts Polo clubs from Brazil, the UK and South Africa as well as indigenous clubs from Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Bauchi, Katsina and Niger states. (NAN)
