Editor's Note: The Nigeria Health Watch team recently visited abattoirs in Suleja and Dei-Dei, to learn how they are managed and tease out public health lessons that Nigeria needs to consider in order to safeguard its citizens from infectious diseases.
Suleja, Niger State, is a populous, cosmopolitan town on the outskirts of Abuja, the nation's capital. At the end of the lone road that divides the town into two, thick smoke clouds the atmosphere. Cars and motorbikes compete for space on the narrow roads, with some motorbikes carrying different types and sizes of meat, from cow thighs to cow legs and cow heads. The meat is from Suleja's biggest abattoir, a large open area just after the market, full of people and animals.
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