By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA—THE Veterinary Council of Nigeria, VCN, yesterday, moved against the stigmatisation of animals in the on-going fight against the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in the country.

The Registrar of the council, Dr. Markus Avong, who made this known said that EVD was not brought into the country by any monkey or bat but by a deceased Liberian  Patrick Sawyer, who was a carrier adding that it was Sawyer that transmitted EVD to those who came in contact with him.

Avong said: “I want us to look at this issue from this perspective and the scenario in Nigeria and some other West African countries that are being ravaged by EVD.
“Whereas, in those countries, the disease involved animal to human transmission, in Nigeria there has never been any animal involvement in the transmission of the  virus.

“It was not animals that brought the infection to Nigeria, but a human being.
“If we place so much emphasis on the animal population with respect to the problem of Ebola in the country, we may divert people’s attention from the real issue.

“It is a human to human transmission in Nigeria and I will not advice we stigmatise wild animals because the situation is limited to human beings. People should not run away from animals as if they were the cause of the disease in Nigeria and what we are suffering.

“But it does not mean we should not take proactive measures, or become careless;  people eating fruits without proper washing and being careless in handling of animal carcasses.”

Avong then urged people to visit zoos and parks to entertain and educate themselves without fear and avoid discrimination between their pets and domestic animals.
According to him, there was nothing wrong eating bush meat or suya as being speculated. “The problem is not from the animals in Nigeria, and never has it been traced to them here. We need to be a little cautious but not to divert attention from the real thing.”