A seasoned veterinary epidemiologist, Dr. Muhammad-Bashir Bolajoko, has sounded a strong warning over the growing trend of consuming poorly cooked meat, stressing that it poses serious health risks, including the transmission of tuberculosis and other life-threatening zoonotic infections. Dr. Bolajoko, who heads the Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine Division at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State, disclosed that consuming contaminated meat that has not been thoroughly cooked could expose people to bacterial and parasitic infections, with bovine tuberculosis topping the list of potential threats.
The senior veterinary doctor explained that tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a close cousin of the human TB bacteria, can be passed from animals to humans, particularly when meat from infected animals escapes thorough inspection or is improperly processed. He emphasised that Mycobacterium bovis is known to be present in cattle and other livestock, and just like the human variant, it primarily affects the lungs and airways. When transmitted to humans, symptoms can include persistent coughing, night sweats, fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, among others.
Dr. Bolajoko warned that such transmission often stems from abattoirs operating in unhygienic conditions, where meat is either not properly inspected or exposed to contamination due to unrestricted human movement. He added that in many Nigerian slaughterhouses, there is frequent human traffic during meat processing, which further increases the risk of contamination. According to him, individuals with respiratory infections like the common cold or even COVID-19 can contaminate meat during processing, thus posing a dual threat, pathogens from both the animal and humans being passed on to consumers.
He called for urgent reforms in how meat is handled in Nigeria, stating that poor hygiene practices in abattoirs remain a serious public health challenge. “In a situation where people are freely moving in and out of abattoirs, and some of them are ill, they could easily contaminate meat that is already exposed. If such meat is not properly cooked before being eaten, it becomes a conduit for disease transmission,” he warned.
He urged Nigerians to only consume meat that has been certified fit for consumption by licensed inspectors and advised that all meat products should be thoroughly cooked to eliminate possible pathogens. The expert explained that if infected meat bypasses inspection and is consumed undercooked, diseases like tuberculosis can easily be transmitted to humans.
Referencing global health data, Dr. Bolajoko noted that tuberculosis remains a major global killer. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), TB is among the top 10 causes of death globally and remains the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, surpassing HIV/AIDS. In Nigeria alone, WHO estimates show that 156,000 people died from tuberculosis in 2020, with over 452,000 cases recorded. Nigeria currently ranks sixth among the top 30 countries with the highest burden of TB globally.
He also cited a 2022 publication from the United States National Institutes of Health’s PubMed Central journal, which underscored the need for increased public awareness on the risks of consuming unprocessed animal products. The journal identified several zoonotic infections linked to poorly handled or uncooked meat, including brucellosis, bovine leukosis, anthrax, meningitis, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, and campylobacteriosis. The study, conducted among peri-urban dairy farmers in Ethiopia, recommended behavioural changes around meat sourcing and more stringent hygiene measures in meat processing environments as vital tools for preventing disease outbreaks.
Dr. Bolajoko warned that in unsanitary abattoir environments, diseases can emerge either from the animals, the humans moving around, or from the immediate environment itself. He urged authorities to enforce stricter hygiene regulations in meat processing facilities and improve training for meat handlers and inspectors.
The veterinary epidemiologist concluded by advising Nigerians to view meat consumption as a health-sensitive activity that must be approached with caution. Proper cooking, certified inspection, and a clean processing environment are, according to him, non-negotiable factors in ensuring that meat on the table does not become a source of deadly infection.
