Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Roderick Kwabena Dade Adjei, has attributed the anthrax outbreak to the failure of butchers to stick to food safety standards.
This comes after one person was reported dead from the disease after consuming the carcass of an anthrax-infected cow in the Upper East Region.
According to the FDA, butchers and consumers disobeying spelled-out food standards by the Authorities has resulted in the outbreak.
“It’s unfortunate that some people did not follow the standards. You see the veterinary will bury it and make sure they cover it with a line and give instructions that nobody should go. So if they do that and people still disobey then you are not following the standards.
“So we are working together with the Food Emergency response to come out with what we call the food safety policy. Sensitization is going on in the North, and that is why we are telling everybody that they should be careful.”
Mr Adjei called for a seizure in the movement of animals in the affected areas to avoid spreading the disease to other areas.
Four cattle in the Binduri district of the Upper East Region have been reported dead as a result of Anthrax disease.
While there are no reports of person-to-person transmission of anthrax, people get infected from handling contaminated animals or animal products, ruminants such as bison, cattle, sheep, and goats, and animal products like beef, fat, and milk are highly susceptible.
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