By Olayinka Ajayi
Professor of Medical Microbiology and Medicine Biotechnology of the School of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof. Marry-Theresa Niemogha from the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University College of Medicine, University of Lagos, and Professor Sunday Omilabu of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology/Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, have raised the alarm on the implications of allowing Anthrax to spread like COVID.
They gave the submission during the 6th Biennial Professional Lecture organized by the Association of Science Laboratory Technologists of Nigeria, ASLTON, themed Pandemic Diseases: The containment and mitigation role of a science laboratory technologist, Professor Niemogha, explained that “Anthrax is caused by Baselots anthracis. The way it is now, if we have the problem of pandemic before we talk of an epidemic, we have to try to use the method that we used for COVID.
“In other words, everybody has to be aware. People should know that if COVID spreads the way it did, we will all be in trouble. So we can use all the preventive methods explained by Professor Omilabu, including personal preventive measures like face masks and hand sanitizers, to prevent the spread from going to other people.
“But we shouldn’t frighten people yet about any outbreak; let us work toward it and prepare. We have an emergency team like the virologist and the bacteriologist for another infection or disease that we might have. In this way, we will be able to get everything ready for containment.”
On his part, Professor Sunday Omilabu of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology/Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, while in lecture, posited that “If anything will kill over 10 million people, it will rather be an infectious, deadly disease than war.”
Omilabu explained that most zoonotic diseases are transmitted by animals. According to him, “There are lots of atrocities associated with wildlife, and they are going to continue unabated. Diseases cannot be controlled when we are careless with our environment. Other pathogens will come, but we do not know when.e should not wait for an outbreak before we prepare ourselves to detect pathogens on time.
Source: Vanguard