A significant number of cattle fatalities have been reported in Disah, a locality within the North Gonja District, following an alleged overdose from vaccinations administered by an Ivorian individual who was brought into the region.
In an interview, Adam Mary, the North Gonja District Environmental Health Officer, stated that her office was notified by community members regarding the situation. A team was promptly sent to conduct an investigation.
She elaborated that inquiries conducted on-site indicated that a farmer had hired the Ivorian to vaccinate his cattle, a procedure that reportedly resulted in the deaths of the animals.
“Based on the information and investigations conducted, some farmers traveled to Côte d’Ivoire and brought someone to immunize their livestock. After the immunization, the farmers noticed that their animals were dying.
“According to them, the immunization occurred on Friday, and the deaths were observed on Saturday and Sunday,” she remarked.
Ms. Mary further emphasized that her office swiftly issued a public alert to prevent the deceased cattle from entering the food supply, extending the warning to adjacent districts and towns.
“A public announcement was made immediately to inform the community about the incident, and we suspect that some of the animals may find their way into Daboya and be sold to food vendors. Therefore, we advised them that the vaccine responsible for the deaths of the animals could also be harmful to humans, and if they encounter such animals, they should refrain from purchasing them and notify us.
“An announcement has been communicated to the Tamale slaughterhouse and relevant stakeholders in this matter to ensure close monitoring on our behalf,” she added.
Authorities have stated that monitoring efforts are ongoing to prevent contaminated meat from being sold to unsuspecting consumers.
