Amid concerns over the resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease in parts of Africa, seasoned physicians have advised Nigerians to avoid bush meat consumption, warning that contact with infected wild animals could increase the risk of transmission.
The specialists explained that Ebola is a highly infectious disease that can spread from animals to humans through consumption, contact with the blood, organs, or bodily fluids of infected wildlife such as bats, monkeys, and other bush animals.
They noted that hunting, handling, and consumption of improperly processed bush meat remain potential pathways for transmission of the disease.
The experts gave the warning in an interview with PUNCH Healthwise while reacting to the outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a recently confirmed imported case in Uganda.
Healthwise show earlier reported that the World Health Organisation declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following the spread of a rare strain of the virus with no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
WHO confirmed that the outbreak has so far recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province in eastern Congo.
Two confirmed cases, including one death, were also reported in Kampala, Uganda, among individuals who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
