Stakeholders want fruit BAT population reduced in Nigeria #ebola

The House of Representatives Committee on
Environment on Monday commended President Goodluck
Jonathan on his prompt declaration of a national
emergency on the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Nigeria.
The virus was brought into Nigeria by a Liberian-American,
late Patrick Sawyer.
Also, the Registrar, Environmental Health Officers
Registration Council of Nigeria, Mr. Ebisike Augustine
canvassed the reduction of fruit bats population which has
been identified as a major carrier of the Ebola disease.
"Ebola is a violent disease that we can't handle the way we
handled the roll back malaria. It's a viral infection which
has no cure yet. My advice is that we should intervene by
reducing the population of fruit bats that are so many in
places like Abuja, Lagos and even Kaduna," the registrar
stated.
LEADERSHIP reports that recent studies have shown three
species of fruit bats carried the Ebola infection in their
bodies without symptoms. Since fruit bats are commonly
eaten in many parts of Africa (including Nigeria), scientists
believe this may be the root cause of the Ebola illness.
These were fallouts of an emergency stakeholders meeting
convened by the Uche Ekwunife-led House Committee with
the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Environmental
Health Officers' Registration Council of Nigeria and the
National Park in Abuja.
At the meeting, Ekwunife stated: "it is sad to note that
seven cases and two deaths have been officially
documented by the Federal Ministry of Health and tens of
people are in quarantine under the watchful eyes of medical
practitioners.
"The essence of this session is to see how you can nip the
disease in the bud as managers of our environment. The
National Park is involved since the virus reservoir is said to
be certain animals. And we can't over-emphasise the work
of the Environment Ministry, because without the
environment, no business can survive in our society."
Ekwunife called on the federal government to adequately
fund the Ministry of Environment and its relevant agencies
in approaching the fight against Ebola outbreak from the
public and environmental health angle.
"It is important for us to tackle the root course of the virus
which lies in our environment with regards to animals in our
parks and pets in our homes through adequate sensitisation
and warnings to those keep them. And the only way is
through adequate funding to the Ministry of Environment.
It's by so doing that health officers can go from door to door
to carry out enforcement of environmental safety
regulations as they concern public health", she added.
The Registrar, Environmental Health Officers Registration
Council of Nigeria, Mr. Ebisike Augustine outlined areas of
concern in combating the disease to be: poor sanitation,
harmful cultural practices, choice of meat of Nigerians as
well as crowd control amongst other things.
"Crowd control is also important. Health care waste
disposal is another area of concern. People dump these
wastes on general dumpsites which is not good enough. the
management of such wastes should be reviewed."
"Legislation is also very important. There are laws which
operated from the 60s and 70s. the health Bill needs to be
expanded from its current narrow scope of medical to
include public health concerns. In those days, the 1958
public health laws gave us right to deny individual rights if
public health is at stake", he opined.
Resolutions reached at the meeting included that the
Ministry of Environment carry out a massive environmental
awareness and attitudinal change initiatives to improve
citizens' knowledge, attitude and practice on environmental
sanitation and hygiene.
Massive disinfection and dis-infestations of all public
places in the country to limit the spread of Ebola and
drastically reduce bats and pets.
The federal government is to set out a special intervention
fund to drive the mass action for Environmental
Sustainability Sanitation and Hygiene programme.
The Ministry of Environment is to collaborate with the its
Health counterpart to strengthen surveillance, quarantine
and sanitation and hygiene at hospitals and isolation
camps.