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The United States government has ‘donated’ 100,000 doses of anthrax vaccines to Ghana’s government.
“The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is donating 100,000 doses of the anthrax vaccine in support of the Government of Ghana and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) anthrax vaccination campaign,” the U.S. Embassy in Ghana writes.
The donated anthrax vaccines aren’t for use in humans but to ‘protect’ livestock from anthrax.
“The campaign is expected to cover about one million animals across the five regions of the north,” the U.S. Embassy in Ghana writes.
U.S. Donates Anthrax Vaccines to “Protect” Ghanaians and Livestock @USEmbassyGhana pic.twitter.com/XmfTgl1KgB
— The Triune Times (@TriuneTimes) April 23, 2024
“Anthrax not only threatens human life. When it destroys livestock, it also threatens economic prosperity and food security,” said USAID/Ghana Mission Director Kimberly Rosen.
From the U.S. Embassy in Ghana:
Before the launch event, Ms. Rosen and partners from FAO to tour the Vaccine Production Unit of the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Pong-Tamale. In support of domestic manufacturing capacity, USAID recently purchased 100,00 anthrax vaccines from the Central Veterinary Lab to donate to the anthrax vaccination campaign.
“During our tour of the Central Veterinary Laboratory this morning, it was clear that with some automation and more investment, the lab could produce larger quantities of vaccines to meet the national market and also be exported. More vaccines means healthier animals, safer humans and potential revenue and job creation for the Veterinary Service Department,” she added.
Anthrax is a serious, potentially life-threatening infectious disease that is passed from animals to humans. Vaccination campaigns of animals like cattle, sheep, and goats, prevent the disease from occurring in animals, reducing the risk of transmission to humans.
In May 2023, Ghana experienced an outbreak of anthrax, affecting six districts in the Upper East Region. A total of 97 animals died from the anthrax outbreak. Thirteen suspected human anthrax cases were detected, including one death. The Government of Ghana and its partners worked quickly to contain the outbreak. To prevent future outbreaks, yearly animal vaccination is recommended.
USAID and Ghana have worked closely together to strengthen veterinary health services for close to two decades. In 2006, the U.S. supported the Accra Veterinary Laboratory to diagnose Avian Influenza, allowing for a faster local response to the disease.
USAID’s FAO donates 100,000 Anthrax vaccines to protect Ghanaians and livestock https://t.co/JiwidfQAur
— Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (@thegbcghana) April 19, 2024
Officials in North Dakota reported a new case of cattle anthrax in December 2023, bringing the number of cases in the state to 25 for the year.
State agriculture officials have confirmed a new case of cattle anthrax in southwest North Dakota, bringing the number of cases in the state to 25 this year. https://t.co/g9TXqGp95A
— ABC News (@ABC) December 1, 2023
From the Associated Press:
It’s the first case reported in the state since August, all in Grant County and neighboring Hettinger and Adams counties, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture said in a news release Thursday. Those cases have led to about 170 cattle deaths, North Dakota State Veterinarian Dr. Ethan Andress told The Bismarck Tribune.
While it’s unusual to see a case so late in the year, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said, the area has seen unusually mild weather recently that has allowed cattle to remain on pastureland where anthrax thrives.
The year’s North Dakota outbreak is the worst since 2005. From 2006 through last year, 18 cases of cattle anthrax were confirmed. Outbreaks in the U.S. are rare, as a vaccine for livestock is cheap and easily administered.
Although natural outbreaks of anthrax among livestock don’t pose a severe risk to humans, weaponized versions of anthrax can be extremely dangerous.
Shortly after 9/11, a weaponized version of anthrax killed five people and infected 17 others after letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two senators.
“The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Emergent BioSolutions a 5-year, $235.8 million contract to supply the anthrax vaccine BioThrax to military branches,” 100 Percent Fed Up reported in January.
“All branches of the U.S. military will reportedly use the vaccine as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for anthrax disease.”
Anthrax Vaccine Supplier Awarded $235 Million Contract With Department Of Defense
