Vets worry over poor handling of meat in Lagos

By Gabriel Olawale

The Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, NVMA Lagos chapter has raised alarmed over poor handling of processed meat and meat products in the State.

The Association Chairman, Dr. Alao Mobolaji said consumption of porly handled meat and meat products often comes with health risks and diseases that could be fatal.

His words: “Meat protein remains a major source of protein supplement for the majority of the human population, and as such the safety and wholesomeness of this meat must be ensured in order to maintain the quality of health of the people.

“However consumption of meat and meat products often comes with some health hazards that could be fatal, examples include, Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis ( typhoid fever) etc.

“Of all the disease causing pathogens known to man, 61 percent of them are known to affect both man and animals.  These diseases are what we refer to as zoonotic diseases.  Currently Nigeria is ranked 4th in the world ( behind India, Indonesia and China) with the highest cases of tuberculosis based on a 2016 report of the  World Health Organisation.

“According to the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), over 600,000 new cases of tuberculosis occurred in Nigeria from a global report conducted in 2014. Brucellosis which is caused by Brucella abortus, an organism that is common in cattles, is a common occurrence in herdsmen and abattoir workers who has shown higher antibody titres for this organism.

Evacuated foetuses

“This occurs via the illicit handling of aborted feotuses by herdsmen or evacuated feotuses from slaughtered cows at abattoirs. The disease in man often comes with undulating fever and sweating which is often mistaken for malaria and it is also a cause of infertility in most cases.

Speaking during the NVMA 2017 meat hygiene awareness campaign, Mobolaji emphasized the need to educate the members of the public on the health dangers of consuming unhygienic processed meat and meat products.

“Our aim is to sensitise butchers and meat sellers on the dangers of unwholesome practices in their slaughtering processes and sales of meat and meat products, especially slaughtering of meat animals on the bare floor. But rather embrace modern and hygienic slaughter processes.

“Meat vendors are to stop the sales of meat in open unhygienic trays and tables, where they are exposed to flies and stop the bare hand handling of meat to be sold. But rather sell in hygienic selling wares, neatly wrapped in cellophanes and stored in refrigerating systems.”

He however tasked the state government on upgrade of existing slaughter facilities to accommodate modern trends and utilisation of rapid penside test kits at abattoirs to screen cattle’s for tuberculosis/brucellosis.

Statistics shows about 6,000 cattle are slaughtered  daily with just 24 veterinarians employed by the State government to supervise.

“This is inadequate, we are calling on Lagos State Government to engage more veterinarians to effectively cover meat inspection in the state,” he stated.

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