Abuja:Prof. Eustace Iyayi, Special Assistant to the Minister of Livestock Development, has called for an immediate response to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in Ogun, emphasizing the need for rapid and coordinated action.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Iyayi stressed that the outbreak should not be seen as an issue for individual farmers alone but as an animal-health emergency. He highlighted priorities such as confirming and mapping cases, containing the disease, and protecting unaffected farms.
Available reports have indicated that the ASF outbreak has impacted farms around the Ikangba/Agoro axis. Iyayi emphasized the importance of farm-by-farm epidemiological investigations in addition to reports of pig deaths. He noted that high-density pig production, communal facilities, and weak farm-to-farm biosecurity contribute to the rapid spread of ASF.
Iyayi advocated for a comprehensive disease-risk management system, including surveillance, biosecurity, movement control, diagnostics, and farmer compensation. He recommended a ‘One Health/animal-health emergency approach’ led by veterinary authorities and coordinated by the Ogun Government and Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
Immediate disease surveillance is necessary, with a rapid-response veterinary team conducting active surveillance and collecting samples. Movement controls should temporarily restrict the movement of live pigs and carcasses from affected areas, and attention should be given to high-density settlements like Oke-Aro.
Iyayi also called for humane culling where justified, ensuring safe disposal of carcasses, and tighter control of communal slaughter facilities, citing lessons from previous outbreaks. ASF, a highly contagious viral disease, has repeatedly affected Nigeria, with past outbreaks causing significant mortality and economic losses. The latest outbreak, the third in Ogun within a decade, has led to substantial mortality and financial losses for pig farmers in the state.