By Dadson A. Musa
Zoonotic diseases are those spread from animals to humans. These diseases are spread through contact, poor or inadequate cooking, and through the air. Our activities as human beings have led to us encroaching on the natural habitat of animals.
And that has had its consequences leading to us contracting diseases that were really rare in human beings. Zoonotic diseases spread from the meat we eat, domestic animals, and of course those animals in the forests.
While these diseases exist, stopping them spilling over is an urgent action that needs to be taken especially in times like these in Sierra Leone when the natural habitats of animals have been encroached on by people through farming and other livelihood activities.
These economic survival activities include charcoal burning, logging, construction of houses, and slash - and - burn farming systems.
To stem the spillover in Sierra Leone there is a need for attitudinal change and dissemination of information on the understanding and prevention of many zoonotic diseases and multiple factors involved in causes and modes of transmission.
It also requires a multi-disciplinary approach to controlling them at entry points along our borders and at the community level. An animal disease scientist who works at Njala University, Julius Harvey revealed that they " have formed animal health clubs at community level to ensure the greatest success of our national programmes."
Communities must be involved in the “one world one health concept" so that these diseases can be successfully controlled or eliminated across Sierra Leone. There’s also the need to form awareness clubs in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions as a strategy for effective and sustainable information delivery on disease prevention and control in both human and animal populations. Members of such clubs must develop the right and positive attitudes so that the desired results can be achieved.
Alie Conteh, Head of Information Education and Communication (IEC) in the Ministry of Agriculture And Food Security cautioned those involved in raising livestock to “employ the necessary precautions so that they don't contract those diseases already being carried by the animals they raise."
There are seven prioritized zoonotic diseases in Sierra Leone namely Lassa Fever, Rabies, Ebola, Anthrax, Rift Valley fever, Marburg virus, and zoonotic influenza.
The largely illiterate rural farmers pose a threat to this fight as they cannot access means of communication like internet, newspapers, android mobile systems, television, etc. meaning the effort is going to take time to bear fruit.
The farmers do not have ideas about the origin, causative agent, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of zoonotic diseases. So blindly they go into farming with little or no knowledge of how risky their survival drive can be health-wise.
Finally, the attitudinal problems are disturbing in Sierra Leone. Imagine people sharing the same dwelling house with animals that are raised domestically.
So the risk of transmitting animal diseases to humans is always high. It has been a way of life for so many people in Sierra Leone. It is stereotyped. Also, hunters who go to the bush and kill animals either for consumption or commercial purposes grab the animals and carry them in their bare hands regardless of diseases that these bush animals may have.Even in the preparation for cooking, the hygiene process is far from followed.
However, efforts are being made across the board to ensure that people especially journalists who are the transmitters of information in their respective localities are enlightened about the relationship between humans, the environment, and the animals-One Health.
It is in that regard that a local Media entity in Sierra Leone-the Free Media Group publishers of Politico Newspaper with support from InterNews’ Earth Journalism Network through the Stop Spillover project recently engaged journalists in a three-day extensive training programme for both Student journalists and practicing journalists across Sierra Leone.
During the three-day engagement in Freetown, the Journalists interfaced with scientists and experts in the fields of environment, agriculture, health, and research. A field trip worth highlighting was also embarked on at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a protected area for Chimps now a national animal- a show of the country’s commitment to wildlife reserve and protection. However, encroachment into the reserve area by people for construction purposes remains a challenge to the sustainability and safety of the park and its inhabitants. In conclusion, the media being well- positioned to change the mindset and set agendas for public discussion must now live up to the task of beating these two issues of illiteracy and wrong attitudes. It is only then can zoonotic diseases be controlled or eliminated in Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (20/10/23)
