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UWA TO CONTROL ANIMAL-TO-HUMAN INFECTIONS

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has formed a partnership with Conservation Through Public Health to control the spread of diseases around the protected areas, top wildlife officials have said.

Speaking yesterday, Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka who heads the conservation group, said groups of the endangered mountain gorillas in the recent past contracted scabies, a deadly skin disease from the human population.

Zikusoka said the apes were man's closest relatives (human beings and apes share 98% of their genes) and that diseases also sometimes spread from the animals to the local communities.

She also said because people and animals can make each other sick, it is important to merge conservation with public health. "We have teamed up with UWA to provide health care to people living near the national parks," Zikusoka said.

She said their emphasis was on teamwork and that this was the reason why they had entered into partnership with UWA to protect wildlife and improve the livelihood of communities.

Lillian Nsubuga, the spokesperson of UWA, said change of attitude in the communities was important in sustaining nature.