A virologist, Professor Oyewale Tomori, says that 75 percent of all emerging human infectious diseases in the last three decades originated from animals, and that to tackle the problem, Nigeria must imbibe the one-health approach to balance and optimize the health of animals, humans, plants and the environment.
Tomori, a former vice chancellor of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, spoke at the fourth hybrid ‘International Conference of the Centre for Control of Prevention of Zoonoses (CCPZ) on Emerging Disease Threats and Mitigation Strategies: Holistic and Global Perspective’.
He said Nigeria needs the one-health approach because animals and humans live and share the same ecosystems and are infected by many of the same microbes.
Tomori stated that considering the transmission of infections between animals which may ultimately affect human health, one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problems, thus a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines within the locality, nationally and globally is important to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.
“Many emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin; which means that the disease has emerged from an animal and has crossed the species barrier to infect humans. Examples of regularly emerging animal disease outbreaks in humans include Ebola virus disease, Lassa fever, yellow fever and avian influenza,” he noted.
Professor Tomori said that drivers of these emerging diseases include population changes, developmental projects, climatic change, agricultural practices, international travels and trade and expanding markets.
He added, “Human and animal health is affected by environmental contamination, pollution and changing climatic conditions. These have resulted in the re-emergence of endemic and or the emergence of new diseases. Seventy-five per cent of all emerging diseases in the last three decades had originated in animals.
“To provide adequate healthcare, food and water for the growing population, disciplines and institutions need to work together. Human-animal interactions can beneficially impact the health of people and animals.
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“The current COVID-19 pandemic offers the opportunity to apply the one-health approach in improving health security, by mobilising resources for the implementation of the one-health activities such as surveillance and monitoring of diseases, involving communities in the fight against COVID-19 and other diseases, and understanding community knowledge practices and customs for the success of disease prevention and control interventions.”
The vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, stated that several diseases of zoonotic importance, including rabies and tuberculosis, are endemic in West Africa, with an untold burden on both humans and animal health, and the livelihood of people.
According to Professor Adebowale, active research and training are, therefore, necessary, especially in higher education, to help actively engage in the surveillance, control and prevention of zoonoses in West Africa.
Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, said control of zoonotic diseases has immense importance to the health care system, and asked that the conference’s outcome be made available to inform policies and the implementation of better health services in the country.
At the conference which also launched the International Development Research, CCPZ’s director, Professor Simeon Cadmus, said the global cry about monkeypox while COVID-19 is still rattling calls much more strategies to mitigate emerging infectious disease threats to human existence.