The Kaduna State Government says it has commenced the vaccination of 1,014 horses against Equine Influenza (a horse flu) across the three senatorial zones in the state.
Dr Pakachi Zakaria, the Leader of the Rapid Response Team in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday.
Zakaria said 314 donkeys would be immunised against the infection during the ongoing exercise.
He said the week-long exercise was inaugurated in Zaria on July 28, and is ongoing simultaneously across the state’s three senatorial zones.
NAN recalls that horse flu disease broke out in January in parts of the state with 19 infected horses placed under quarantine to curtail the spread of the disease.
Equine influenza virus (EIV) is a major cause of acute respiratory diseases in horses and donkeys.
Veterinary experts recommended adequate quarantine of affected horses as a measure to tackle its outbreak.
Experts also recommended equine influenza surveillance plan with an appropriate EIV control programme.
They said that the measure would protect the large population of the animals in the state.
The ministry in April also embarked on a programme to disinfect and de-worm horses and donkeys across the state.
The veterinary officials had collated data on population of horses and donkeys in the state during the earlier exercise.
The team leader said the exercise was also taking place at the Nigerian Military School and Nigeria Police barracks with horses as well as polo clubs in Zaria and Kaduna.
A breakdown showed that 528 horses would be immunised in the Northern Senatorial Zone, while 337 horses would be immunised in the Central zone and 49 in the Southern zone.
