The Federal Government has deployed veterinary officers and epidemiologists across 10 states for a nationwide sero-surveillance and sero-monitoring exercise aimed at strengthening efforts to eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) by 2030.
The exercise follows the conclusion of a capacity-building workshop held in Lafia, Nasarawa State, in partnership with the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), the Head, Press and Public Relations, Henrietta Okokon, said in a statement on Thursday.
The field operation targets five priority transboundary animal diseases, namely PPR, Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) and Newcastle Disease (NCD).
The teams will also monitor Anthrax and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria's animal disease surveillance and control systems.
The Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Anzaku, said the exercise was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development's efforts to improve livestock productivity and protect pastoral livelihoods.
According to him, the initiative would also contribute to the global objective of eradicating PPR by 2030 through the generation of reliable epidemiological and serological data.
Anzaku said the 10 participating states — Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, Kano and Katsina — were selected based on their geographical distribution and disease-risk profiles.
"Disease surveillance without adequate laboratory confirmation limits our ability to understand what is actually happening. We need current, geographically representative, and scientifically defendable evidence on where PPR is circulating, where susceptible populations are concentrated, and what level of immunity exists within our herds and flocks," he said.
He explained that field operations would cover four high-risk Local Government Areas in each state, involving up to 40 designated local councils.
According to him, standardised sampling grids would be used to capture data from migratory pastoral corridors, commercial livestock holdings and smallholder village flocks.
The data generated from the exercise is expected to provide state-specific serological profiles, identify immunity and exposure gaps, assess post-vaccination responses and guide future vaccination and disease-control strategies.
The findings will also provide evidence for improved PPR vaccination planning while strengthening animal health systems and protecting the livelihoods of small-ruminant farmers and livestock-dependent communities.