The public warned against the consumption of sick animals

The public has been warned against slaughter and the consumption of unhealthy animals.

Indeed, eating such animals exposes humans to the risk of being infected by the diseases they suffered.

Dr. Kwadwo Obeng-Wiredu, head of the Ghana Veterinary Services (GVS) in the Greater Accra region, said it was unfortunate that some people believe that cooking sick animals allows them to eat in all security.

He stated that there had been cases of infections due to the consumption of unhealthy meat and pointed out that under no circumstances should sick animals be slaughtered for human consumption.

Dr. Obeng Wiredu urged the public to ensure that the purchased meat was GVS certified and therefore safe for human consumption.

He urged those involved in animal husbandry to always ensure that their animals receive veterinary care, in order to keep them as healthy as possible, and added that the GVS had resources available to them. sufficient to ensure the availability of a quality veterinary service.

The senior veterinarian warned that farmers should promptly report outbreaks to the GVS, instead of killing sick animals and selling their meat to the public.

In doing so, he stated that public health was severely compromised, while the GVS was also denied the ability to diagnose and contain outbreaks in domestic animals.

Regarding rabies, Dr. Obeng-Wiredu said that currently, free rabies treatment for children bitten by a dog is available at Korlebu University Hospital.

He added that parents and guardians should therefore have access to the structure whenever a child gets bitten by a dog, but warned that "this provision exists only for children".

Dr. Obeng-Wiredu reiterated the need for people to report immediately to health authorities cases of dog bites, and said that it was particularly important to seek veterinary badistance.

Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans are called zoonoses.

These diseases are usually transmitted by animal fluids such as blood or saliva, which could be transported by various means, such as bites or the consumption of flesh from infected animals.

Source: GNA