• Côte d’Ivoire opens West Africa’s first large-scale veterinary public health facility in Abidjan

• Center to monitor epidemics, treat rabies, and combat animal trypanosomiasis

• Project aims to strengthen veterinary services and curb rising zoonotic disease risks

Côte d’Ivoire has opened a new veterinary public health facility in Abidjan’s Cocody district. Officials say its scale makes it the first of its kind in West Africa, state news agency AIP reported.

Animal and Fisheries Resources Minister Sidi Tiémoko Touré opened the facility, which will carry out preventive surveillance, epidemiological monitoring and rapid response operations to better protect both animal and human health.

The complex includes a rabies treatment center for animals and humans, a veterinary public health emergency operations unit, and an operational unit dedicated to controlling animal trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness.

“This facility was urgently needed, especially as animal disease outbreaks now occur almost every year, compared with roughly one every 15 years in the 1970s,” Touré said.

Authorities say the investment is designed to strengthen the country’s veterinary services, support animal welfare, improve crisis management and increase resilience in the livestock sector amid rising zoonotic disease risks.

Animal trypanosomiasis causes major economic losses in African livestock production through cattle deaths, reduced milk and meat output and a decline in animals’ usefulness for farm labour. The disease is estimated to cost the continent nearly $4.75 billion each year, according to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Stéphanas Assocle