The recent disease outbreak in Disah, located in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region, raises critical concerns about negligence within key state institutions. The Veterinary Services Department (VSD), the Ghana Immigration Service, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and the Animal Science Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture all bear a share of responsibility.
The pressing questions are: How did unregulated Fulani herdsmen enter the country with such ease? How did unapproved veterinary vaccines and drugs find their way into Ghana? And why is it that individuals without licenses are allowed to sell and administer veterinary drugs, often to the detriment of animal health and livelihoods?
Before any vaccine is administered, proper veterinary protocol demands that samples of the animals be tested in accredited laboratories. This step ensures that the disease targeted by the vaccine is indeed present, and prevents cases where seemingly healthy animals harbor infections that only become clinically visible after vaccination. Unfortunately, this critical step was ignored in this Disah case.
Even more worrying is the reported practice in Disah, where Fulani herdsmen administered two different vaccines—Anthrax and CBPP—at the same time. This is a serious violation of veterinary practice, as such combinations can trigger adverse reactions, weaken immunity, and result in avoidable animal deaths.
This incident is not just about Disah. It is a wake-up call for Ghana as a whole. Border controls must be strengthened, unlicensed veterinary drug peddling must be completely banned, and the relevant state institutions must recommit themselves to safeguarding animal health, food security, and public trust.
If we continue to look away from these lapses, the cost will not only be borne by farmers but by the entire nation’s livestock industry. It is time to set the record straight and put in place systems that protect both animals and people.
—signed–
Dr. Shark, Final Year Veterinary Nursing student, UDS, Nyankpala campus.
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