Anthrax outbreak: Public urged to purchase meat from butcher houses

Members of the public have been urged to purchase meat, particularly beef and chevon, from butcher houses for guaranteed safety from anthrax disease.

Mr Iliasu Ibrahim, Secretary of the Nyohini Butcher House in Tamale, said meat sold at designated butcher houses was tested and certified by veterinary officers at the abattoir to be free from the anthrax virus

He said, “Any animal slaughtered at the abattoir is checked by the veterinary officers and stamped to ensure that no infected meat is sold to the public.”

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tamale, Mr Ibrahim urged consumers to look out for stamps of veterinary officers on fleshes before purchasing.

He expressed dissatisfaction over diminishing interest in beef patronage, saying a full cow, which sold within a day previously, now sells for three or more days since the anthrax outbreak was announced.

The anthrax outbreak started in a few districts in the Upper East Region about a month ago and spread throughout the region.

This compelled health officials and other related authorities in charge of animal health to ban the sale of beef, mutton, and chevon in the region.

Even though in the Northern Region, no official ban has been announced, patronage for these forms of meat has been slow.