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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A Professor of Health Physics and Environment from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Joshua Ojo, has expressed worry over the rate at which vaccines have become overrated at the expense of primary prevention of Ebola virus.
Ojo, who is the President of the LivingScience Foundation, warned against unnecessary panic about the “resurgence of Ebola”, lamenting that environmental health officers are failing to prioritise foundational hygiene.
Speaking at Osun State University, Osogbo, during the 11th National Conference on Environment and Health on Wednesday, Professor Ojo urged the public to remain vigilant on Ebola virus without giving in to unnecessary panic.
The conference, themed “Safe foods, healthy nation: Safeguarding food systems in Nigeria from farm to fork”, brought together environmental and health professionals, regulatory agencies and civil societies.
“I am amazed that environmental health officials are not doing their job. The major determinant of disease is sanitation, and reports worldwide show that better sanitation improves health, yet people prefer vaccines. Vaccines have their place, but preventing diseases in the first place is primary prevention,” he noted.
“Ebola is a very serious issue. As much as we need to be serious, we should not panic. What we need to do is educate the public appropriately, because panic can be part of the problem. Ebola is not airborne, and you are not contagious until you are in direct contact with it,” he explained.
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To address systemic regulatory gaps, Ojo advocated for the restructuring and increased funding of bodies like NAFDAC, suggesting that the agency’s current mandate needs expansion to effectively safeguard public health.
The varsity lecturer also condemned the continued administration of Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) to children in Nigeria, describing the practice as unacceptable and outdated.
He criticised health authorities for continuing practices prohibited by global health bodies.
Prof Ojo also raised concerns over the presence of mercury in vaccines, noting that health officers have persisted with the practice despite prohibitions by the World Health Assembly. He attributed these ongoing issues to regulatory capture.
“It is unfortunate that we are still administering Oral Polio Vaccines to millions of Nigerian children. This is outrageous and unacceptable. It is like giving a weakened virus to the children.
“If you give people OPV, it is guaranteed that you will have Vaccine-Derived Polio. The World Health Assembly proscribed this, our country agreed, yet they still do it. All these happen because our agencies are captured,” Ojo said.
