The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has urged the Federal Government to ensure that imported vaccines meet international standard to ensure efficacy.
The federal government should ensure that the influx of vaccines from different countries into Nigeria is checked so that we will ensure that only standard vaccines are imported into the country to safeguard our animals and human health, it said.
TBI Africa.com said Dr Godwin Abonyi, immediate past President of the association, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja in commemoration of the World Veterinary Day (WVD).
WVD is commemorated annually last Saturday of April and the theme of this year is “Value of Vaccination”.
Abonyi identified efficacy of vaccines as key toward disease prevention and healthy animals.
He emphasised that government should rise up to its responsibility of ensuring effective monitoring of influx of vaccines into the country to guard against the importation of fake and substandard vaccines.
He further urged the government to intensify its enforcement activities by ensuring those keeping pets and food animals duly vaccinate them to prevent zoonotic diseases among others.
NAN reports that zoonotic diseases are diseases that are transmitted from animal to human.
According to him, government should ensure that people do not keep pets when they cannot vaccinate them.
He explained that WVD was set aside in 2000 by the World Veterinary Association to highlight and promote the lifesaving work performed by veterinarians around the world.
According to him, each year, different theme is chosen which helps pet owners to remember the importance of various aspects of animal care and how veterinary doctors can help in ensuring pet’s vaccinations are up to date.
On the theme the “Value of Vaccination”, he noted that veterinary doctors ensure vaccines are administered appropriately to protect animals from diseases the particular vaccine covered.
According to him, vaccines protect animals from falling ill and transmitting diseases to human beings.
