By Lanre Omotoso
Animal owners have been enjoined to always engage the services of qualified veterinary doctors in order to curb possible spread of diseases from animals to human-beings.
The Ekiti State Chairman, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Ayodeji Victor-Ojo gave the advice on the commemoration of this year’s World Veterinary Day.
Dr. Victor-Ojo said that the call became necessary because more than Sixty-Five per cent of human diseases were contracted from animals.
The veterinarian itemized diseases that could be transmitted from animals to human-beings to include tuberculosis, avian influenza, diarrhea and ebola.
He emphasized that most wild animals were carriers of the diseases, touching or eating them may spread the ailments to human beings, hence the need to consume domesticated animals.
While noting that grasscutter, antelope and ostrich can be domesticated, the Ekiti State Chairman of Veterinary Doctors noted that rearing them would enable human-beings to know the health status of what they consume.
Dr. Victor-Ojo warned that to safeguard public health, there is need to avoid consumption of animals that have respiratory disorder, stooling, deformed and already dead.
He stressed that to avoid havoc to human population, there is need to contact qualified veterinarians when they noticed such symptoms from their animals.
The World Veterinary Association in 2000 set aside last Saturday of April as World Veterinary Day to celebrate their work and contributions to animal and public health.
