Tuberculosis can come from cows — Lagos Health Commissioner warns

The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says that Tuberculosis (TB) can also come from the animal kingdom through cows.

Abayomi said this on Thursday in a webinar, organised by Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, in collaboration with the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, Economic Summit Group (NESG), and Anadach Consulting Limited.

Quoting experts, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of cattle. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) which can also infect and cause disease in many other mammals, including humans, deer, goats, pigs, cats, dogs and badgers. In cattle, it is mainly a respiratory disease but clinical signs are rare.

Evidence of bovine TB is most commonly found in the lymph glands of the throat and lungs of affected animals. This means that the bacteria, which cause the disease, are mainly passed out of the infected animal’s body in its breath or in discharges from the nose or mouth.

Infection is mainly through inhalation or ingestion of the bacteria. Contaminated food and water can also be a source of infection.

Bovine TB is transmitted between cattle, between badgers, and between the two species. Cattle can spread this disease to other cattle:directly via respiratory route , directly via infected milk, directly before birth through the placenta and indirectly via environmental contamination.

Badgers can spread this disease to other badgers directly via close contact, including intimate contact between mother and cub.

The commissioner noted that the state Ministry of Health has continued to work to ensure that the cows which come into the state are void of the disease as this can also affect humans.