The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), has raised concern over the escalation of zonotic diseases in the country due to dearth of veterinary services across states and local government areas nationwide.
According to experts, a zoonosis is an infectious disease that has jumped from a non-human animal to humans through direct contact or through food, water or the environment.
They represent a major public health problem around the world due to our close relationship with animals in agriculture, as companions and in the natural environment.
Zoonotic diseases spread through contact with infected body fluids, animal bites, contaminated water and eating infected meat. Bats, livestock, rodents, birds and other vertebrates can carry them.
National President of the association, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Arokoyo identified inadequate employment and poor remuneration of veterinarians as a major challenge facing veterinary services in the country.
He said that 75 per cent of emerging and re-emerging diseases emanated from animal, emphasing that this could be escalated if nothing was done to boost the number of veterinarians in rural areas.
The president specifically said 80 per cent of veterinarians were under the services of private sector while 20 per cent was under the government.
He described the number as grossly inadequate in the nation’s quest to nip zonotic disease in the bud and enhance public health.
Arokoyo, however, urged the government to increase the number of veterinary doctors in its service, “if it is concerned about the health and wellbeing of the populace”.
The president specifically recommended the employment of one veterinarian to each of the local government areas across the country, for prompt disease detection and prevention.
He emphasised that the gesture would assist in the reduction of emerging and re-emerging zonotic diseases in the country.
“We have more than enough veterinarians in the country to nip zonotic diseases in the bud but the major challenges are inadequate employment of veterinarians and poor remuneration in certain quarters.
“We have states where you have 40 or 80 veterinarians employed and yet there are states with two vet, what will two veterinarians do in our quest to eradicate zonotic diseases?” he queried.
The president said addressing zonotic diseases government must take proactive measures by deploying large number of veterinarians to rural areas to assist farmers in the advent of disease outbreak. (NAN)
