Njala University through the Animal Science Department at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences has on Wednesday 14th October 2020 commenced active disease surveillance on ruminants in nine (9) Districts’ in Sierra Leone.
The surveillance is courtesy of a 58,000 Euro German Funded Project through the Fredrick Loejjler Institute of Animal Health Project.
The rationale of the project is to collect and analyze blood samples and ticks from ruminants in Kenema, Kono, Kailahun, Karena, and Freetown in the next three-year life span of the project.
The survey is expected to collect and analyze 1,000 serums and 4,000 ticks from various ruminants in the nine identified districts to investigate their body disease.
Dr.Roland Suluku, Head of Department and Principal-Lead Investigator for the One Health Serology and Molecular at Njala University lab said the project is geared towards increasingly supporting farmers in Sierra Leone to rear healthy and disease-free animals which he continued would improve on the protein needs of the country’s population.
The samples collected from the survey, he went on would be analyzed and later sequenced at the One Health Serology and Molecular laboratory at Njala University.
The findings are expected to largely inform the Government of Sierra Leone and the world at large about the various types of disease conditions affecting ruminants in Sierra Leone.
The Survey, he concluded is also providing immediate treatment for sick animals in the respective communities the survey is taking place.
Njala University can boast of a USD 700,000 United States dollar Serology and Molecular laboratory with highly equipped machines to conduct advanced test and analysis on animals.
