No doubt, man does not
live in isolation from nature. Man enjoys a symbiotic relationship with animals and plants.
For instance, man depends largely on animals for foods, games, security and companion. Meat of animals provides a rich source of protein and fat.
Dairy product such as milk is also a rich source of food for adults and infants.
In the area of games, horses, bulls and cows are used in one sport or the other. It is no exaggeration that dogs are used for detection by security operatives because of their strong sense of smell as well, as their ability to embark on sporadic long distance race after criminals.
One thing is clear; quite a number of people across the world adopt various animals and birds for companion.
It is a common knowledge that dogs and cats are engaged as pets while birds such as parrots and eagles are adopted for same purpose too.
This is a clear attestation to the fact that man, for ages past, had been living with animals. Unfortunately, the relationship between man and animal is not without pains.
Evidence abounds with cases where some wild animals have fed on man for food
Lions, crocodile and python among other wild animals) are potential age long enemies of man. Besides, it has been proven scientifically that some diseases are transmissible from animal to man and vice versa.
This is where the case, zoonotic diseases readily comes to mind. Both veterinary and human doctors do know the class of diseases that fall under zoonotic and anthropozonosis.
Tuberculosis, Lasa Fever, Ebola, Avian Flu, Rabbis, Brucellosis, Psittacosis and Toxoplasmosis are common emerging and neglected zoonotic diseases affecting man today.
Because of the physiology of animals and birds, it has been observed that some of the zoonotic diseases have longer period of incubation than in man. TB, for instance, is a bacteria disease found in vertebrate animals including man. Lassa Fever that has assumed pandemic proportion today is contracted through contact with infected multi-mamate rats carrying the Lassa fever virus.
Statistics available at the Federal Ministry of Health show that about 80 persons in 17 states of the country have lost their lives either from bodily contact with infected persons or through food contaminated with faeces, urine and saliva of infected rats or through eating of infected rats.
It is also known that bleeding through the orifices, vomiting, fever, weakness, nausea, headache and facial swelling are common symptoms of Lassa Fever leading to death if not identified and treated early. No doubt, not less than two medical doctors in Lagos and Rivers State are among the victims of Lassa Fever, a viral disease. Early detection is key to avert death.
TB in man, apart from being an air borne disease, is also transmissible by eating tubercles in the visceral of infected cattles and is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis; in cattle is mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB), in goat and sheep it is caused by mycobacterium capri, in birds mycobacterium avian while in dogs it is called mycobacterium canis.
In the case of rabbis, it is transmissible from dogs to man through bites of infected dogs, brucellosis from cattle and dairy product, Avian flu from birds (poultry farm) while psittacosis is a deadly fever that is transmittable from parrot to man and so is equine disease that passes from horses to man.
This is not to underestimate toxoplasmosis in cats caused by the virus toxoplasma gundii proven to cause miscarriages and abortion in women who have infected cats as pets in the case of companion.
Be they emerging or neglected as these diseases are classified, zoonotic diseases where Lassa Fever belongs have truly come to stay with man. Worse still, these emerging zoonotic diseases particularly Lassa Fever has now spread from man to man against anthropozonosis, that is spreading back to animal from man.
Similarly, the case of nosocomial condition cannot be banalized following the death  of healthcare workers in some states including Rivers State.
To this end, there is the need for collaboration and synergy among critical stakeholders. In other words, a multi-diciplinary and multi-sectoral approach are needful to break the chain of transmission.
The fact that the vector of Lassa Fever is infected rats requires the contributions of veterinary doctors, virologists, parasitologists and ecologists to break the chain of transmission while medical laboratory scientists, pharmacists and human doctors are required for actual treatment in humans.
The Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment and Information must interface to nib the spread of Lassa Fever in the bud.
It is necessary to recall that such collaboration had proved effective in Rivers State in 2006 when the state government, at that time, established Rivers State Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Control of  Birdflu with a human doctor, Godwin Mpi, as chairman and veterinary  doctor, Allswell Emejuru, (secretary) confirmed the case of bird flu in the farm of captain Kanu in Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, and contained the spread. If collaboration worked in the case of Bird Flu, a viral disease, it can also work in the case of Lassa, Fever, another viral disease.
Better still, collaboration is in consonance with the philosophy of one health approach where multi-disciplinary professionals of varied backgrounds in the health sub sector work together to attain optimal health for humanity, animals and the environment. Collaboration amongst professionals remain key to combating Lassa Fever.
As part of efforts to stop the spread of Lassa Fever, doctors in hospitals must ensure usage of personal protective equipment while career nurses among other healthcare providers should be encouraged to check human to human transmission and hospital infected diseases.
Man must be mindful of how he cultivates and acquires the habitat of ‘wild life including rats for farming and industrial use. Again, household wastes must be properly disposed to prevent rodents from residing in residential areas.
Introduction of natural enemies such as the use of cats in the houses maybe helpful but the cats must be tested to ensure that it is not vector of toxoplasmosis.
Simple hygiene and protection of food stuff from being contaminated with faeces, urine and saliva of infected rats should be used.
The point must be made that killing rats cannot eradicate Lassa Fever.

Sika is of Radio Rivers, Port Harcourt.

Baridorn Sika