In a bid to curb the outbreak of the very deadly Ebola Virus in West African countries including Nigeria has led to the Nigerian government reinstating a ban on the importation of bush meat from West African countries such as Guinea.
This was disclosed by the Contoller of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services, Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Dr. Okey Okwuosa. He was speaking at the EVD response and management stakeholders’ coordination meeting in Lagos.
“Although it had been banned before, but we had to renew that ban prohibiting the importation of bush meats, which are delicacies in some countries, now because the virus is spreading quickly through ]bush meat, especially the fruit bats.
“The circular has been passed round but our borders are major sources of concern in the spread of this viral disease. At the moment, the infrared thermometer can detect such virus but it is still very few in Nigeria.
“Nigerians need to abstain from eating bush meats because you don’t known which one is infected. Cooking it thoroughly is simply not enough to kill the virus. Simply abstain,” he admonished.He also warned Nigerians to desist from eating fruits which have been bitten or partly eaten by fruit bats.
“Its been proven that the fruit bats are clinical carriers of the EVD and most times, people buy fruits that have marks like that eaten by animals. They cut that part off and eat the other. It is wrong. You can contact the virus.
“Now is the time to educate our children not to eat fruits eaten by the birds or those that fall off the trees. You can’t tell which fruit is affected because the fruit bats, that like sweet things a lot, might have tasted it, Okwuosa stated.
