COVID-19; Veterinary Council of Nigeria today paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Honourable Mohammed Musa Bello
The
President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, CP Aishatu Abubakar Baju, today
paid a courtesy call on the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello, in the company of the FCT Task Force on COVID – 19, to
harmonize details of how the Veterinary Community, in this trying time, can
help in the curtailment of the COVID–19 pandemic.
The
Veterinary Council drew the attention of the Honorable Minister to the Zoonotic
potential of the COVID-19 virus as indicated by the recent diagnosis of some
animal species (Tiger, dogs, cats) with the COVID-19 virus in some parts of the
world as well as the recent outbreak of the virus among employees of major pork
and meat industries in the United State of America.
CP
Aishatu noted that it is important to incorporate Veterinary Professionals into
the FCT Task Force on Covid-19 for effective development of the strategy and
its implementation towards achieving the containment of COVID-19 Pandemic. This
will in no small measure bolster the technical capacity of the committee in
achieving its mandate as remarkable successes have been recorded in many parts
of the world via the utilization of multi-disciplinary approach in combating
global pandemic such as COVID-19 as recommended by the World Health
Organization in compliance with the one world one health protocol. She further informed the Honorable Minister and his team that about 100 Veterinary volunteers have signed up with the
Council in FCT and are ready for training and eventual deployment by the FCT
Task Force on COVID-19.
In his response, the Honorable Minister directed
- the immediate Inclusion of Veterinary professionals in the FCT Task Force on COVID-19 for enhanced synergy, critical information sharing and other multi-disciplinary engagement that could assist in combating the menace.
- the immediate training of the Veterinary volunteers to enable their effective deployment in the combat of this Pandemic.
- Support with all necessary logistics that may be required in order to assist the council in carrying out the decontamination project on Live bird markets and other related places.
The
huge success recorded today at the meeting will further help Nigerians and the country as a whole in her
response to the on going crises.
Great news, I hope it won't be in FCT alone
ReplyDeleteHighly commendable. The covid-19 outbreak is really teaching the whole world how exactly to handle our health.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that most discussions even at global level did not involved veterinarians. Not even in the US despite the US Senate declaration of January as One Health promotional month due to the fact that 75% of human diseases are contracted through animals, according to the US senate. That was late last year December. Then covid-19 broke out that very month and the veterinarians were quickly forgotten as the only rallying point to cub the disease and all other animal-to-human diseases at the animal level.
That will soon change now with these inclusion of the veterinarians in the Abuja task force today. The Federal Task Force too must as a matter of fact be able to boast of two or more veterinarians in its main body of 13 men even if the body will have to be upgraded to a 15men panel. That's how things should be. The WHO had in the past declared that in every 5men public health team, there must be a veterinarian. That point was made when Dr. Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello was being criticized for been the Commissioner of Health in Ogun state and later the Chairperson, Senate Committee on Health.
The veterinarians have done so great for the global health in the past and are still ready to do more whenever given the opportunity to perform. A whole lots of personalities are mentionable such as Prof. Oyewale Tomori a renowned virologist who ruled and was recognized with honour during the time of Prof. Olukoye Ransom Kuti as the Minister of Health.
Our Public Health and Preventive Medicine Desk today reported on the advise given pet owners on their pets on the RADIO Nigeria network news.
Read it here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/onaaratoday/permalink/3761525180588756/