‘Indiscriminate use of veterinary drugs poses danger to human health’
By Seye Adeniyi
Only a qualified veterinary doctor should attend to
sick animals.
WORRIED by the incessant misuse and abuse
of veterinary drugs both for disease prevention and management in the livestock industry, the federal government and veterinary medicine practitioners have been called upon to find a lasting solution to this problem before it begins to have serious effects on human beings who depend on livestock products.
Making this appeal in Ibadan recently was the dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Prof T.O. Ogundipe. According to the renowned veterinarian, drug is a major weapon for any doctor - be it a medical or veterinary professional, whereas, other tools such as epidemiology, counselling and hygiene are only supportive.
“We must appreciate the fact that the discovery of new potent drugs does not come too often, therefore, any threat such as drug misuse must be curtailed”, he said.
Speaking on what constitutes drug misuse in veterinary practice and the conditions that favour drug misuse as well as its effects on Nigerians, Prof. Ogundipe stated that wrong drug administration on sick as well as healthy animals is now a disturbing trend in veterinary medicine and livestock industry.
He said sometimes, doctors lack the proper knowledge of diagnosis because the persons doing the treatment may not be competent enough to diagnose the disease. Sensitivity test, the don also observed, are not usually conducted to determine the most effective drug that should be given to a sick animal before the actual treatment is administered.
Under dosage, Ogundipe noted, is another problem in disease management of farm animals. This usually results when a diseased animal is treated with less than the therapeutic dose. Many feed millers use antibiotics for prophylatic purposes as if they were vaccines, while overdosage occurs when more than the therapeutic dosages of drugs are administered. In which case, standard dosages are not usually complied with.
He also said non-observance of the withdrawal period a major factor fuelling drug misuse in livestock industry. Many veterinarians don’t even know about withdrawal periods , a period during which treatment must be stopped before the animal would be slaughtered.
On the conditions that favours drug misuse, Prof Ogundipe explained that in rural areas, people embark on self medication or even patronise quacks that are within reach in the absence of qualified veterinary professionals who are not always available in rural areas.
He said: “People embark on drug misuse for many reasons. One of the reasons is to reduce cost. They want to avoid paying consultation fees, and in trying to do this, they consult quacks who will charge less. The culprits include educated clients, illiterate clients, some animal scientists and animal health superintendents.”
Explaining other dangers of drug misuse and its overall effects on human health, Prof. Ogundipe said when a drug is administered, a risk is taken as no drug produces a single effect. In fact, desirable and undersirable effects may even occur. But effects of misuse of veterinary drugs include, drug toxicity which can also have affect on humans. Several drugs are toxic and should only be used under strick medical supervision.
“When a wrong drug is used by laymen, the animal may die or may suffer permanent damage. Metabolites may even be more toxic. For example, Clenbuterol residues in cooked liver of animals consumed by human beings can cause acute food poisoning.
Drug residues may also be acutely or cumulatively allergenic, organotoxic, mutagenic, carinogenic or teratogenic. For instance, Nitrofurans was banned because of its mutagenic effect,” he said.
Speaking further, the don said misuse of drugs can also lead to accumulation of residues in meat, milk, eggs and other animal products. Most contentious residues include; antimicrobials, hormones, pesticides, industrial chemicals and heavy metals.
Drug resistance on the other hand, especially excessive usage of drugs at sub-therapeutic dosages, may lead to the development of resistance to treatment by pathogenic problems which include; prolonged and increased morbidity and mortality in animals and loss of confidence in the expertise of the physician or veterinarians.
Ivermectin, for example can be stable in frozen sheep’s milk for one year, while penicillin residue in milk causes allergic reaction in human beings. The economic losses are also great as there is an increase in the cost of treatment since the doctor has to try other drugs. Not only that, it also causes a drainage of scarce foreign reserve since most of the drugs are imported. The pharmaceutical companies also spent millions of naira in research into alternative drugs. Honestly, some of these losses are very difficult to quantify in financial terms,” he emphasised.
Moreover, Prof. Ogundipe identified four factors responsible for the widespread misuse of veterinary drugs. These include; absence of veterinary drug formulatory, absence of appropriate legal classification of drugs, lack of establishment of veterinary pharmacist cadre, absence of veterinary drugs legislation as well as Veterinary Diagnostic Service. Veterinary Diagnostic Service, he counselled, should be covered under the National Drug Policy.
He, however advocated the establishment of the Veterinary Medicine Directorate in NAFDAC, which should be empowered to work on sales of veterinary drugs, their distribution and usage.
The don also suggested that the National Veterinary Formulatory be compiled and made into a National Drug Formulatory; the formulation of an Independent National Drug Policy to regulate importation, manufacture, marketing and sales of veterinary drugs; setting up of the veterinary pharmacist cadre and getting them registered by Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN); as well as amendment of the relevant veterinary laws to control veterinary drugs.
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