It was my childhood when a fetid air was blowing on us day and night, since we were living nearby the former abattoir (Alnafaqo) and all the neighboring to that slaughterhouse lives within this bad odor until they adapted and became senseless to the putrid smell coming from the animal offal, but any stranger comes near to that area can’t resist to stay loner time.

At that time, it seemed to me only fetid odor with nothing any other effects but during my university study, I recognized there is a great risk to that people living around or the campus of the Alnafaqo abattoir. Most of the people don’t know about the zoonotic diseases( infectious that infects both animal and human)  that transmitted through the aerosol . there are much infectious microorganisms within air comes from the slaughterhouses , so  the standard slaughterhouses are  being built far away from the settlements where the alnafaqo is close to the settlements the offal’s odor reaches with high concentration .
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Recently I noted  that , the infectious diseases are increasing in very high rates within the community, for example, Brucellosis (undulating fever) which is serious disease according to its effects and resistant to treatment, infects in high rates  to the people, as I confirmed  from many doctors. This disease causes spontaneous abortion in pregnant women and orchitis (tests inflammation), epidydimitis and  sterility in men if not treated for a long time. Also there are mild effects e.g. undulating fever (frequent fever), headache and arthralgia (joint pain).

 The international health organization of animals (OIE) listed the brucellosis at the tops of disease list, so it concentrated and put rules for import and export countries to be controlled the disease spread through the borders. The import and export animals are individually diagnosed from brucella.

Saudi Arabia rejects 1% positives to get in its country. s any one asked himself why many ships loading animals being returned to Somalia from Arab countries or sometimes refused to be imported our animals?  The question is how great those countries keeping the health of their communities. 

An other example of endemic zoonotic diseases in Somalia is tuberculosis (TB), where it spreads highly in our society, noting that animal play a great role for the transmission of this disease to human. Both the above two disease and the rest of zoonotic disease (transmissible between animals and human) being controlled in the slaughterhouse for the safety of human consumption.

Anyone goes alnafaqo slaughterhouse will see a great number of dogs around it or inside it at nights and evening. There are many disease transmitted by dogs. For example, echiniccosis ( hydatidosis ) is a disease results from infection with tapeworm larva of the tapeworm echinoccocus granulosus, the tapeworm found in the dogs consume organs or meat of infected animal, then transmitted to human by the dogs through hand to mouth transfer of the parasite egg from handling of contaminated meat, hides etc with dog faces.

Basic hygiene and keeping the butchering areas from dogs is important in prevention of this disease. and other dog transmitting disease. Anyhow there are about 230 zoonotic diseases including viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections.

Before few days, I heard a modern slaughterhouse being built in Borama and I became so glad to that good news. I believe, this is a starting point for meat processing industry in the region. Also it will enhance the meat production quality, health and give the facilities into delicious cuts of meat.

I hope the authorities of the region and FOA organization that responsible for the building of this new slaughterhouse should try how they will make a standard slaughterhouse, halving all the necessary parts e.g.  Part for receiving new animals to have complete rest and then done antmortem examination (health checking before the butchering) where the animal be approved to slaughter or rejected for health reasons.

The other part is carcass processing parts where the postmortem examination is done (checking the health of the animal after the butchering) because there are diseases can be diagnosed and recognized only after the slaughtering. The above parts contain subdivisions (details later if needed).

 To control the diseases and produce a health meat to the community, there must be a doctor (veterinarian) and well trained assistants, having enough knowledge about the animal transmissible disease and how to deal with each disease. Because each disease has a specific judgment to the slaughtering animals and their carcass. so slaughtering animal’s  health examination is divided into two parts: ant mortem (before the butchering ): , this examination is either the animal is approved to slaughter or rejected according to the  risk of the disease . While the postmortem (diagnoses after the slaughtering), the carcass either approved or condemned totally or partially according to the disease.

The question is who will benefit from this new slaughterhouse?
 
I believe this great event and straggle of building a well developed, standardized abattoir will open a door to a successful business opportunity for those willing to import meat to the Arab countries since there is a great need off. 

Obliviously, Alnafaqo group (the butchers) is the first winners in many sides (their safety and business). Remember they are always the risk people for zoonotic diseases and the slaughterhouse is their home of business, so as to keep its sanitation and well being is a duty as our religion instigated us. Our prophet peace be upon him said:  the cleanness is halves of faith (??????? ??? ?? ???????) .Also it is sure this slaughterhouse will enhance the consumption of the meat.

The third point and the general one is the community beneficial to get health meet with delicious and hygienic cuts. So as to support this project is a public interest.  I hope the businessmen will play a great role for supporting and investing this great success for Awdal region. No doubt, this modern abattoir will enhance the economy of region.

We all wish, this new slaughterhouse to be gradually developed till it reaches a big meat industry insha Allah.

Dr. Abdiaziz Mohamed (Dhabar) Abdillahi 

Veterinary medicine and animal surgery

Address : abo Yasser international company 

Email address: dhabarb@hotmail.com