Nigeria risks infectious diseases from illegal wildlife trade, others go unchecked – Expert

Conservation expert and wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Mark Ofua, has warned that Nigeria is at high risk of emerging infectious diseases if illegal wildlife trade, environmental degradation and insecurity are not urgently addressed.

Dr Ofua revealed this during a press conference organized by Wild Africa ahead of World Zoonoses Day. Zoonotic disease is a disease transmitted between animals and humans and remains a major threat to global public health, particularly as new pathogens continue to emerge from wildlife.

The theme of this year’s World Zoonoses Day is “One World, One Health: Preventing Zoonoses”, highlighting the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health.

Dr Ofua said: “We should not think that these diseases have disappeared, the message this year is vigilance. Zoonotic diseases are still with us and we must remain prepared.”

According to Dr Ofua, while many zoonotic diseases such as rabies, anthrax and brucellosis have known treatments or preventative measures, the greater concern lies in naturally emerging diseases and antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections.

He explained that more than 60% of infectious diseases affecting humans originate from animals, but warned that pathogens resistant to available antibiotics could become the next global health crisis.

“Antimicrobial resistance is already being described as a silent pandemic,” he said.

‘These are infections caused by organisms that were once easily treated but have developed resistance to available antibiotics. When they infect people, treatment becomes extremely difficult.’

Recalling a case in Lagos, Dr Ofua described how a pharmacist nearly died after common antibiotics failed to cure an infection caused by a resistant organism.

Dr Ofua said Nigeria’s current zoonotic threats, Lassa fever, is a major public health concern in the country.

Dr Ofua warned that Nigeria’s thriving bushmeat trade significantly increases the likelihood of zoonotic disease transmission.

He explained that wild animals often carry pathogens without showing symptoms, but the stress caused by capture, transportation and overcrowding in markets can increase the virulence of such diseases.

“When animals are removed from the wild and mixed together in markets, pathogens have the opportunity to jump from one species to another,” he said.

“People who handle these animals often do so without protective equipment, increasing the possibility of transmission.”

It also warned that wildlife imported via informal trade routes from the Central African Republic to Nigeria could introduce dangerous pathogens long before authorities detect them.

“The government focuses a lot on airports, but infected wildlife can travel via bushmeat trade routes across borders without any monitoring,” he said.

Dr Ofua linked Nigeria’s growing insecurity to rising public health risks.

He said forests occupied by bandits have become inaccessible to environmental workers, allowing illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking to flourish.

According to him, insurgents often depend on wildlife for food and income, increasing human contact with wild animals and creating opportunities for disease to spread.

“There is a direct connection between insecurity, illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases,” he said. “The same criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking often overlap with other organized crimes.”

He added that the conflict also prevents authorities from monitoring wild populations and containing potential outbreaks at the source.

Dr Ofua argued that biodiversity conservation should be seen as a public health intervention.

He explained that predators and scavengers such as snakes, owls, vultures and cats naturally regulate rodent populations that spread diseases such as Lassa fever and leptospirosis.