Experts Call for Integrated Animal Disease Reporting System in Nigeria

News in Brief:

— Livestock stakeholders are calling for the integration of private and public veterinary laboratories into a unified disease surveillance network to improve early detection and reporting.

— They say fragmented data and weak laboratory infrastructure at the state and local levels are limiting Nigeria's ability to predict, prevent and respond effectively to animal disease outbreaks.

Stakeholders in the Nigerian livestock sector have called for the integration of private veterinary laboratories into the national animal disease surveillance system to improve early detection, reporting and preparedness for disease outbreaks.

The call was made during a meeting of partners, investors, and officials focused on strengthening Nigeria's veterinary laboratory network.

Participants called for greater collaboration among federal, state, local government and private veterinary laboratories to improve the collection and sharing of disease surveillance data.

Private Labs Could Strengthen Grassroots Surveillance

Clement Meseko, the Director of Infectious and Transboundary Animal Diseases at the National Veterinary Research Institute, declared that effective disease surveillance depends on collaboration across the country's veterinary laboratory network.

He said private laboratories are particularly important because they are often closer to livestock farmers and can identify suspected disease outbreaks at an earlier stage.

According to Meseko, a private laboratory serving a poultry farm, for example, can collect samples and initial data before forwarding them to state or zonal laboratories and, where necessary, the national reference laboratory.

He urged the government to strengthen and incentivise private veterinary laboratories, arguing that their participation would expand access to disease information from farming communities.

Fragmented Data Weakens Disease Response

Meanwhile, Moses Arokoyo, Country Manager of the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) Nigeria, identified fragmented data collection and inadequate reporting as major weaknesses in Nigeria's animal disease surveillance system.

He said integrating information generated by public and private laboratories would give authorities a clearer picture of disease patterns and improve preparedness for future outbreaks.

According to Arokoyo, disease outbreaks often follow identifiable patterns over time. Establishing those patterns through reliable data would allow authorities to anticipate risks and respond more effectively.

He said GALVmed is supporting the integration of disease reporting through its National Animal Disease Information Service to develop a stronger animal health data system in Nigeria.

Stakeholders Seek Better State and Local Laboratories

Matthew Adamu, President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, called for stronger veterinary laboratory infrastructures at the state and local government levels.

He said veterinary teaching hospitals and state laboratories need better equipment, while qualified personnel should be recruited, trained and continuously retrained.

Improving laboratory capacity closer to livestock-producing communities, he noted, would strengthen the country's ability to identify and respond to animal diseases before they spread more widely.

Government Urged to End Data Silos

Samuel Anzaku, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, represented by Dr Adeniyi Adedoyin, also called for changes to the way animal disease information is reported and shared.

He questioned why teaching hospitals and public and private laboratories continue to generate data independently without a unified system for sharing the information.

The stakeholders' concerns highlighted the importance of establishing an integrated veterinary laboratory network to connect disease information from farms and local communities to state, zonal and national authorities.

Such a system could improve early warning, strengthen outbreak preparedness and support faster interventions against infectious and transboundary animal diseases.