By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Environmental and Public Health at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Professor of Dr Amadi Nkwa, said poor handling of meat in abattoirs are responsible for increase in diseases and escalating meat-related diseases and meat borne diseases.
Prof. Nkwa made the disclosure recently, in an interview with journalists in Abuja during the of a 3-day National Environmental Health Business Forum, organised by Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCN), with the theme, “Developing Sustainable Environmental Health Business Model in Support of Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Drive”.
He explained that poor handling of meat is a perennial problem in Nigeria, saying that it could only be solved by implementing policies and guidelines on the management of abattoirs that has been in existence since 1948.
Similarly, the Managing Director of Forward Resources Nigeria limited, Dr Shehu Muhammad emphasized that poor handling of meat from abattoirs to designated markets in Abuja is an eyesore.
“Environmental Health Professionals (EHPs) should invest in the management of abattoirs”.
In his presentation titled, ‘National Environmental Health Practice Regulations: Panacea for Effective Environmental Health Business’, he emphasised training of EHPs on handling of chemicals to avoid infection and transmission of diseases.
He lamented on the need to encourage and support young Nigerian youths in public and environmental health on innovations, noting that it would create jobs and inspire young scientists to be entrepreneurs.
He stated that there are abundant opportunities for investment in environmental health in the areas of sanitation, pest control, cleaning services and among others.
He noted that government lacked sufficient funds for investment in environmental health.
On his part, an Associate Professor of Environmental Health, Gombe State University, Dr Muhammed Adam said that he had collected samples of meat to determine if abattoirs followed the laid down rules in processing it.
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