Protecting Us from Animal Diseases: What We Need to Do

Dr. Solomon Chollom is an expert on viruses. He says we need to do more to stop animal diseases that make people sick. This is especially important now because Mpox is spreading in Nigeria.

Dr. Chollom talked to a news reporter in Abuja. He said we are mostly trying to stop people from spreading Mpox to each other. But that’s not enough.

He thinks we need a bigger plan. We have to look at how the disease spreads in animals and people.

“We’re only looking at people spreading the virus to other people,” Dr. Chollom explained.

“We need to focus more and look at animals too, especially in places where many people are getting sick,” he added.

Why We Need to Look at Animals

Dr. Chollom says it’s important to find out where the disease starts. When someone gets sick, we should check where they were 1 or 2 weeks before. Did they go to a forest? Did they visit a game reserve?

“We need to stop the virus in animals first,” he said. “If we can do that, it will be easier to stop it from spreading to people.”

Working Together

Many places in Nigeria have more cases of diseases from animals. So, we need to act fast. Dr. Chollom says that people need to work together to stop the virus: health officials, wildlife teams, and even the public.

“If we find and stop these viruses in animals, we can keep both people and animals safer,” Dr. Chollom highlighted.

In the end, this will help us all stay healthy and prevent more people from getting sick.

Remember: It’s not just about stopping the virus among people. We have to think bigger and protect everyone by also looking at animals.