As Lagos curtails the cholera outbreak, investigations by PUNCH Healthwise show that the nation’s commercial city might be experiencing a Lassa fever outbreak as bird sellers battling rodent attacks sell dead chickens to residents. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA reports
The use of wooden cages in Lagos bird markets– markets, where live chickens are sold, may become a source of infection for the residents.
The traders lament that the use of wooden cages exposes their chickens to daily rodent attacks which in many cases leave some of them with severe injury and others dead.
In the battle for survival and to reduce their losses, our correspondent observed that those chickens killed by rodents are sold by the traders to the residents who cannot afford live chickens at a reduced cost.
Also, our correspondent found that several unsuspecting members of the public in the state have been buying and consuming sick and injured chickens without knowing they were attacked by rodents.
Further findings showed that the pesky rodents eat the feeds of the chickens leaving their faeces inside their water containers and cages.
Because of the constant invasion of their chickens by rats, the traders told PUNCH Healthwise that they were running their business at a loss while narrating the unending attacks on their chickens by the rodents.
Further investigation also revealed that many major bird markets in the state do not have modern facilities which further exposes the chickens to rodent attacks besides excessive heat which also sometimes leads to their death.
During several visits to the markets, our correspondent observed that many chickens were struggling with their feeds, water, and faeces in small-sized wooden cages in filthy environments.
Possible outbreak of Lassa fever
This is a cause for concern, public health experts say, as the situation may increase the risk of Lassa fever outbreak in a state already battling with a cholera outbreak traced to the contamination of local beverages by some of the residents.
According to the World Health Organisation, Lassa fever is contracted through the consumption of food exposed to rat droppings, urine or faeces.
The disease is an acute febrile illness characterised by vomiting, facial swelling, and muscle fatigue.
Unlike humans, rats do not fall sick from the virus so they serve as a suitable host for its maintenance and multiplication.
In extreme cases, Lassa fever victims bleed from their eyes and nose. The disease got its name from Lassa, a town in Borno State, where it was first discovered in 1969.
Iyabode Animashaun
A middle-aged fowl seller at the Agege Main Market, Iyabode Animashaun, told our correspondent during a visit to the market that the lack of modern cages exposed many of the live birds sold in the market to rodent attacks which experts linked to poor sanitation.
Animashaun, also the leader of fowl sellers at the market said, “Sometimes, you will come to the market in the morning and notice that rats have killed and eaten some of the birds.
“In some cases, the rats will bite off the heads of the fowls and eat all their intestines. This has made us run at a loss.”
Plea for modern cages
She appealed to the state government for assistance in providing cages and crates for bird sellers operating in the state.
Animashaun said while modern cages would keep the fowl healthy and stop rats from killing and eating them, crates would also help them transport the fowl from farms to markets.
Animashaun said keeping her fowls in old wooden cages made with wire gauze for ventilation had continued to expose them to rodent attacks likewise that of her fellow traders.
The trader told PUNCH Healthwise that having a new and modern bird holding cage which she said was very expensive would certainly end rat attacks on her birds and end deaths relating to overcrowding of the poorly ventilated wooden cages.
She further disclosed that the use of Cane baskets usually used in the north by some of the bird sellers in the state also leads to overcrowding and the death of the fowls.
Animashaun claimed that they had been waiting for the supply of the modern cages as promised by the government but to no avail as she had to continuously make wooden cages with tiny wire gauze to save the birds from rodent attacks.
“With the tiny ones, those rats cannot pass through the small holes to eat our birds but it is still not the standard ones that the government promised to give us.
“And that is why I’m appealing to the government to support us with the modern cages so that rats or any other predators will not have access to our fowl,” she said.
The stories were similar during several visits by our correspondent to other bird markets in the state including Mile 12 (Ketu); Alade Market (Ikeja); Odo Eran (Ojo); Ketu market; and Alaba Rago (Ojo), as the birds are also vulnerable to daily rodent attacks due to poor rearing facilities.
Why we sell dead chickens
At Ketu market, a nursing mother struggling to grow her business in the past seven years, who prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons, told our correspondent that they sell sick and dead chickens to residents who can’t afford the healthy ones.
The mother of three said that the price of healthy fowls differs significantly from that of sick or dead ones.
She confirmed that due to inadequate storage facilities, which allow rodents easy access, their birds were killed daily by rats.
The nursing mother, who stressed that their birds die in chains, explained that when one of the fowls was sick due to a rodent’s bite, it impacted others as they eat together and share the same space.
According to her, the death of these birds is a significant burden for them as they lose both capital and profits, having to sell them dead or sick below the cost price.
The trader said, “The dead birds are sold for between N3,000 and N5,000 for layers and breeders, respectively, while sick birds could be sold for between N4,000 (layer) and N7,000 (breeder).
“But a healthy layer sells for N7,000, depending on the size, while a breeder sells for between N18,000 and N22,000. You can imagine the losses we incur when these birds die due to rodent attack, harsh weather, or illness.”
Leading public health experts fear the situation may trigger an outbreak of Lassa fever in the state if the state government fails to address the concerns of the bird sellers.
Already, the state government is battling with a cholera outbreak in the state which has killed no fewer than 37 residents in the last two months.
Both Lassa fever and cholera outbreaks are often triggered by consumption of contaminated foods and they are driven by poor sanitation and filthy environment.
Rats, reservoirs for Lassa fever
Prof. Tanimola Akande
Speaking on the issue, a Professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Tanimola Akande, told our correspondent that rats were reservoirs for various viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, including Lassa fever, hantavirus, and leptospirosis among others.
Akande, a former National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, said if the species of the rats that attacked the birds was Mastomys natalensis, then there could be a possibility of Lassa fever transmission to residents through the infected chickens.
As a precautionary measure, Akande, who at various times headed the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Ilorin, warned the residents not to buy or eat dead fowl.
In ensuring that another epidemic does not hit the state, Akande advised the residents not to buy sick or chicken with physical wounds for consumption.
“It is advisable not to buy chicken with physical wounds for consumption. This can lead to the transmission of viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections and even toxins.
“Precautionary measures should be taken to prevent infection from chickens with wounds. Such measures include avoiding buying such chicken, cooking chicken thoroughly, and good food hygiene while handling or processing food for consumption,” he warned.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that the modern battery cage would reduce the risk of infections and deaths among the birds as they will not eat their faeces while picking feed on the floor.
For Muritala Mohammad, a chicken seller at the Mile 12 Market, not using modern facilities to keep their birds is taking its toll on their business and has caused several deaths of the chickens which he said was affecting their profit margin.
‘We’re yet to get equipment’
Mohammad, the leader of the slaughter and fowl seller association at the market, said the government did not provide fowl handling equipment for them.
He said “I am aware of the modern cage and equipment required for this business but nobody has approached us. We don’t know where to get them.
“However, since the government has not brought anything for us, we are making use of these wooden cages and those slaughtering are still using manual labour.
“So, we would like to have modern ones that will save feed for us and prevent unnecessary deaths of fowls,” he said.
A mix of old, new
At the Alade Market, Ikeja, the conditions remained unchanged as traders continued to use a mix of old wooden and metal cages for their birds with those involved in slaughtering and processing still relying on outdated methods.
During PUNCH Healhwise’s visit, a fowl seller and processor, Samson Aliu, was observed killing chickens with a knife and then placing them into a black drum to allow them to die properly while also avoiding contact with sand.
Aliu, who was boiling water for feather plucking, explained to our correspondent that he does not keep many birds in his cage until he receives an order and payment.
He expressed concern about losing his birds, saying, “The price of birds is now very high. We are selling breeders for N23,000 and layers between N7,000 and N7,500. These are not the kind of birds you will allow to die.
“I no longer stock my cage because the birds often die here due to the heat. My cage isn’t like the modern ones, so when I stock it, some of them get suffocated, especially the white breeders.
“I can fit 15 layers in this cage, but if I try the same with the breeders, many of them will die. There’s no money now, and you don’t want to invest so much in birds only for them to die here.
“Now, I wait for people to place their orders before bringing the birds in; otherwise, they can buy elsewhere,” he said.
Modern cages at Odo-Eran
Odo-Eran
At the Odo-Eran Livestock Market in Ojo, close to Ojo Military Barracks, one user of modern equipment, John Innocent, said those with modern cages and slaughtering equipment did not receive them directly from the government.
According to him, the vendors in the market rely on cleaner and more traditional cages for holding poultry.
It was also observed that the traders at Odo-Eran Market have more modern cages for food handling and a cleaner environment than others, perhaps due to its proximity to Ojo Military Cantonment.
Alaba Rago in filth
However, PUNCH Healthwise’s visit to Alaba Rago uncovered a significant level of filth in the area where most traders process the chickens.
The market also lacked modern cages for poultry holding and did not employ contemporary methods for killing and processing fowl.
Alaba Rago chicken processing spot
The traders make use of cane baskets and cages for holding their birds, the reason there is a high poultry death in the market.
The only processing area used by the market is unsuitable for handling consumables even as they depend on well water.
Disturbingly, our correspondent captured footage of a person killing and plucking chicken feathers who was seen urinating near the table where the chickens were prepared for customers.
Afterwards, he returned to plucking the chickens without washing his hands.
The market leader, Malami Ibrahim, stated that there had been no government presence in the market, so they made do with what they had.
During the visits to these markets also, our correspondent, spotted only local Cain-made basket cages, wooden cages, and plastic cages which allow for suffocation and death in extreme weather events.
Dr Rotimi Adesanya
A Public Health Physician and Medical Director at the Federal College of Education, Akoka Medical Centre, Lagos, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, said, “The environment was unsafe for humans. This is never good because of the smelly nature and the breeding of various microorganisms there.
“Diseases like Shigellosis, typhoid fever, salmonellosis, amoebiasis, dysentery, and other diarrhoeal diseases, including cholera could be gotten here.”
A veterinary expert, Muda Farouk, told our correspondent that the battery cage is not comparable to the old system (deep litter), which is the one sellers are currently using.
Farouk said when the water pours on the floor of the deep litters, and the birds feed on them, they get infected with one disease or the other, which is not the same with the battery cage.
He said, “Almost all the birds would be affected because they eat together on the floor. When they lay eggs, they can break all the eggs, making the farmers run at a loss.
“Also, with deep litters, the mortality rate is high and this is the reason, the modern battery cage is better and being advocated for across the country.
“Unlike the deep litters and birds in the Cain-made basket cages, there is no risk of infection with the battery cage, because they eat only what you give to them. There is no risk of breaking their eggs because they can only see the eggs but cannot have access to them.
“There is nothing to attract them in the first instance. With battery cages, their feed is more hygienic as well as their water. So, you can’t compare the two. This is better.
“You can stay a year without buying any medicine to treat infection, but with the old system, you will buy medicines almost every week and this affects your cost and profits.
“So, what the government plans to do is to reduce the cost of operations, and waste, and reduce stress for farmers because fewer persons can handle the birds in battery cage, unlike the litter cage. This will reduce the overhead cost for the farmers.”
Concerned about a potential Lassa fever outbreak, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, told PUNCH Healthwise that the veterinarians from the Ministry of Agriculture would be dispatched to understudy the situation and fumigate the environment.
Ogboye, who wouldn’t want to manage two major epidemics in the state within the same season, affirmed that Lassa fever is spread by infected rats.
He warned the residents not to buy or eat sick birds or the ones attacked by rats, also urging the sellers not to sell birds to the residents as it could be a conduit for the Lassa fever outbreak.
The PS who is willing to nip any action that could trigger a disease outbreak in the state, advised, “It will not be right for a normal person to buy and eat a dead or bird killed by rats because it is cheaper, it is not good enough and we don’t encourage it for our safety.
“If you see where it is happening let’s know so that we will send the veterinary department of the Ministry of Agriculture to study the situation and fumigate the place.”
We’ll go there, LAWMA assures
When contacted to react to the unhealthy conditions of some of the markets visited, especially Alaba Rago Market, the Public Relations Officer, State Ministry of Environment, Kunle Adesina, neither picked up his calls nor responded to the message sent to his phone.
Our correspondent repeatedly called on him for two days and none of the calls was answered or returned.
However, reacting to this filth, the Director of Public Affairs of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Folashade Kadiri, assured that the LAWMA operations team would visit the place and have words with the operators.
She said, “We will go there. You can send me a text so that I will forward it to the operations team. Give me clear directions, we can locate it there. I am sure they can deal with it.
“It is also important that we talk to them. They will do their investigations and will report back.”
Also, the Head of the Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Nike Sodipo, said that the government’s projects are continuous and that they are not giving equipment to individuals but to cooperatives and groups.
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