FG BEGINS PPR SERO-SURVEILLANCE TRAINING TO MEET 2030 ERADICATION TARGET<\/p>\n
The Federal Government has commenced a pre-training workshop for the National Peste des Petits Ruminants, PPR, Sero-Surveillance Field Activity as part of efforts to strengthen disease surveillance and meet Nigeria\u2019s 2030 target for PPR eradication.<\/p>\n
This was disclosed in a statement issued today by Henrietta Okokon, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development<\/p>\n
The two-day workshop, which opened on Monday, 24th August 2026 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, brought together veterinary epidemiologists, state veterinary officers, researchers, animal health professionals, private veterinarians and other stakeholders from selected states. It had technical and financial support from the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, AU-IBAR.<\/p>\n
Declaring the workshop open, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, CVON, Dr. Samuel Anzaku, stated that the exercise was critical to closing the gap between suspected disease outbreaks reported from the field and those supported by laboratory confirmation.<\/p>\n
He stressed that reliable laboratory evidence was necessary to understand disease circulation and guide decisions on vaccination and other control measures.<\/p>\n
According to him, the surveillance would generate current and geographically representative data on PPR exposure, circulation and population immunity in sheep and goats to inform targeted interventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisease surveillance without adequate laboratory confirmation limits our ability to understand what is actually happening. We need current, geographically representative, and scientifically defensible evidence on where PPR is circulating, where susceptible populations are concentrated, and what level of immunity exists within the sheep and goat populations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Anzaku noted that the exercise was not just sample collection but a key component of Nigeria\u2019s national animal health intelligence system, adding that the quality of samples and data collected would determine the usefulness of the results.<\/p>\n
He highlighted that Nigeria\u2019s 2030 PPR eradication target remained achievable but would require effective surveillance, reliable laboratory evidence, targeted vaccination, continuous monitoring and sustained political commitment.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, AU-IBAR representative, Mr. Charles Lodiaga, reaffirmed the Bureau\u2019s support for Nigeria\u2019s surveillance efforts, describing the exercise as a contribution to the African and global objective of eradicating PPR. He urged sustained commitment to ensure reliable results for disease control and improved livelihoods.<\/p>\n
In his welcome address, the Director of Veterinary Services, Nasarawa State, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, urged participants to take the training seriously, noting that accurate surveillance data would help determine disease prevalence, identify hotspots and guide control measures.<\/p>\n
The workshop covered the epidemiology and surveillance status of six priority diseases: PPR, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, FMD, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, CBPP, Newcastle Disease, Anthrax and Lumpy Skin Disease, LSD.<\/p>\n
Participants were trained on selection criteria, sampling strategies, target populations, farm coding, use of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, sharps management, biosecurity, prevention of cross-contamination and safe handling of cattle, poultry, sheep and goats.<\/p>\n
A key component was the establishment of standard protocols for field assignment to ensure uniformity in sample collection, identification, handling and data capture across states.<\/p>\n
Practical sessions included demonstrations on animal restraint, venipuncture, sample labelling, tagging and data capture using sheep, goats and poultry. Participants also shared field experiences and discussed challenges of surveillance and sample collection.<\/p>\n
The PPR National Project Coordinator, Dr. Patience Tomoh, said the sero-surveillance would cover 10 states across Nigeria\u2019s six geopolitical zones and 35 Local Government Areas selected based on risk levels. The states are Bauchi, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Cross River, Imo and Ogun.<\/p>\n
As part of the activity, participants visited the Akwanga Slaughter Slab and a pig farm to demonstrate standardized protocols for safe collection and handling of health samples from cattle and pigs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FG BEGINS PPR SERO-SURVEILLANCE TRAINING TO MEET 2030 ERADICATION TARGET The Federal Government has commenced a pre-training workshop for the National Peste des Petits Ruminants, PPR, Sero-Surveillance Field Activity as part of efforts to strengthen disease surveillance and meet Nigeria\u2019s 2030 target for PPR eradication. This was disclosed in a statement issued today by Henrietta […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[3384,1721,3383],"class_list":["post-152077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-others","tag-chief-vetrtinary-officer-of-nigeria","tag-nasarawa-state","tag-ppr-sero-surveillance-training"],"yoast_head":"\n