The call came as  the world marked World Zoonoses Day on July 6.

Mr Kelechukwu Iruoma, Nigerian Representative, Wild Africa Fund, in a statement on Thursday said that Africa faced a growing risk of zoonotic diseases as it grappled with population growth, rapid urbanisation, deforestation and the commercial bushmeat trade.

He said that there had been a 63 per cent increase in the number of zoonotic outbreaks, such as Ebola and monkeypox diseases in the region from 2012 to 2022 compared to the previous decade (2001 to 2011).

Quiting the World Health Organization (WHO), he said that over 60 per cent of human infectious diseases across the globe were believed to be spread by deadly germs found in animals.

Also quoting the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Iruoma said that zoonotic diseases had caused economic losses of more than $100 billion in the last two decades before the emergence of COVID-19.

“Zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, Anthrax, Yellow fever, Marburg virus, and Monkeypox (Mpox) are increasingly common throughout Africa and around the world.

” Scientists say there are about 700,000 unknown zoonotic diseases that can potentially jump from animals and infect humans.

“In the last 12 months, several infectious disease outbreaks have been recorded in Africa and across the world, including these major zoonotic disease outbreaks: COVID-19 pandemic, Anthrax, Marburg virus, Monkeypox (Mpox) Ebola, Yellow fever, and Lassa fever, ” Iruoma said

He said that the recent outbreaks of anthrax, monkeypox (now known as Mpox) and Marburg virus in some parts of Africa as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic serve as a reminder that zoonotic diseases continue to pose a significant threat to our health, economies and global security.

The country representative noted that the Nigerian government recently issued an advisory, warning citizens to desist from consuming bushmeat in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak of anthrax — believed to have spread from animals — in Northern Ghana.

According to him, Wild Africa Fund is running an awareness campaign using television, radio, print media, billboard and social media to inform people across Africa that the health of humans, animals and the environment are highly interconnected.

He called on everyone to protect wildlife to protect ourselves :“Keep them wild, keep us safe.”

Iruoma said that following the coronavirus outbreak, which was believed to have spread from a live animal market, the Chinese government banned the breeding, sale and consumption of most wild animals for food.

He added that in spite of this action, across Africa, particularly in West and Central Africa, unregulated live wildlife markets persist despite the risk of a future outbreak.

Iruoma quoted Dr Mark Ofua, Veterinarian and Wild Africa Fund Nigerian Spokesperson as saying:

“As a notable hub for trafficking of illegal wildlife Nigeria cannot afford to be the epicentre of the next pandemic, disastrous in terms of human health and economically.

” We must quickly pass the new wildlife law introduced before the election, increase our enforcement and awareness efforts to stop illegal bushmeat trade, to mitigate the spread of zoonotic diseases and to protect our environment.

Iruoma also quoted Prof. Akin Abayomi, an health expert as saying:

“If you don’t know what’s out there, you are destroying that ecosystem, and you are creating that pathogenicity for humans to encroach into animals’ space to cut down trees and destroy their environment and come into contact with wildlife.

“If the human population is not used to any particular pathogen, it will have no immunity, which now creates an opportunity for it to spread quickly among the human population.

“Ebola will kill six out of 10 people. Lassa fever will kill five out of 10 people.

Iruoma also quoted the International Monetary Fund(IMF) as saying:

“The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the deaths of nearly seven million people – more than the size of New Zealand’s entire population – and is estimated to cost the global economy $12.5 trillion over the next year.

Iruoma quoted Mr Peter Knights, OBE. Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wild Africa Fund as saying:

“We must defuse this ticking bomb by moving urban consumers away from illegal bushmeat through education and enforcing laws and preserving what wildlife habitat remains.

“At the same time we must develop alternatives sources of income and protein for those that hunt bushmeat.”