The Bond We Forgot: Why Sociology Belongs in One Health

A Nigerian researcher reclaims the human in human-animal health.

The Neglected Lens of Medical Sociology in One Health

I am Dr. Victor Eyo Assi (PhD), a native of Elle village Oron, a riverine coastal region of Akwa Ibom State, a Nigerian and a Medical Sociologist with extensive research experience in healthcare, ageing populations, One Health, Zoonotic diseases, environment and development issues. I hold a PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of Uyo, Nigeria, which was awarded in October 2021. My doctoral research focused on "Occupational Hazards among Healthcare Workers in Hospitals in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria."

Bridging Academic Gaps and Building New Paths

I also earned a Mandela Gandhi PhD fellowship in Social Work from Parul University, India, where my thesis examined "Assessment of Extended Family System and Social Support Services for the Older Adults in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria." And I was also a visiting Assistant Professor in India, where I taught at both BSc and MSc level. I have over a decade of experience conducting research on healthcare, aging populations, and development issues in Nigeria and recently in One Health, Zoonotic diseases and human-animal bond. My areas of expertise include medical sociology, public health, and social development, One Health, Zoonotic diseases and human animal interactions.

A Singular Voice in a Multidisciplinary Chorus

Since September 2023, I have served as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases under the SENZOR project. My professional affiliations include membership in the Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Practitioners Association since 2017.

Throughout my career, I have contributed significantly to understanding the social factors influencing public health and aging in Nigeria, One Health and Zoonotic diseases with relation to human animal contact, thus aiming to inform policies and interventions that address these critical issues.

Igniting a New Flame: The Sociological Calling

In November 2024, I was awarded the prestigious merit award for my contribution to Education by the West Africa Youth Summit in Lagos.

I decided and dedicated my energy in juxtaposing the relationship and correlation between human-animal health sociologically, because over the years and decades the place of Sociological perspective in human-animal health has been neglected, and you cannot talk about human-animal health without talking about contact, relationship and the society (community) which is where the Sociologist or medical Sociologist expertise come to play and it has been wrongly omitted and sidelined. If we are to talk of holistic approach and multifaceted or multisectorial approach in dealing or reducing pandemic, the place of One Health can never be overemphasized and that's where all disciplines correlate together under one umbrella of One Health.

Bridging a Disciplinary Gap: One Health Through a Sociological Lens

Moreso, my reason is to educate and reeducate and create the awareness of this silent area that has been silent for long. And in my words "without sustainable animal health we cannot get sustainable human health" thus results in outbreaks.

Medical Sociology and Zoonotic diseases was something new to us as social sciences and interestingly, in graduate school we were never exposed to One Health, and Zoonotic diseases. However, after my graduation from graduate school and obtaining my PhD, because of my quest for knowledge and having been so inquisitive about the relationship between animal and human health—but unfortunately that was not taught to us in the social sciences—I started reading and researching, going to conferences on veterinarians and attending workshops organized by Vets and One Health experts. It was at that point I found a new love in One Health and Zoonotic diseases, and it might interest you to know that in the south south region and in my State I am the only social scientist and medical Sociologist working on human-animal relationships and Zoonotic diseases.

So this newfound love grew when I saw the call for a Postdoctoral Research fellow on socio-ecological outbreak and Zoonotic diseases, so I applied though they needed one with medical anthropology and experience. I did apply never mind because I knew my wealth of research experiences would speak and that was what happened. I was shortlisted among others and boom I got the job and it opened my eyes the more, especially with field experiences working with multidisciplinary teams: vets, virologists, public health experts, molecular scientists. So this really pushes me to strive more in this area and I am really enjoying what I am doing and I hope to go back to the classroom and to impart this knowledge to the new generation of social scientists. Interestingly, I lectured for over 7 years before leaving for India.

Culture, Health, and Global Insight

Culture is universal, unique, dynamic and not static. Nigeria and India are unique countries with diverse cultural and religious belief systems. Working in these two countries has greatly impacted my mindset and way of reasoning, having dealt with students in India where especially the female students are highly abused and suicidal attempts are high because the belief that the girl child is a liability makes the male folks tend to take advantage. Seeing this, you try to talk many people out of depression and suicide unlike Nigeria where the system is quite different. Here in Nigeria is a communal way of Life while in India is more of individualistic in nature.

Now on the issue of health, in India the health system is working in the sense that, there is health insurance and subsidy in health; however still there's still high mortality rate because the nation is highly populated and the religious and cultural beliefs system is also impeding on their proper accessibility of health. For human-animal health, in India their cattle are revered, that is, they worship it and they don't eat cattle and majority are vegetarian because of their religion—Hindus. But in Nigeria the reverse is the case: some cultures eat dog, snakes, cattle, horse, donkey and it is a serious delicacy. And all this poses more health risks, and that's why the prevalence of Zoonotic diseases in India is low as compared to Nigeria.

Urbanization, Community, and the Changing Bond

Urbanization and environmental change are reshaping the dynamics of the human-animal bond in significant ways and this cannot be overemphasized. These trends create both challenges and opportunities that can affect mental health, community dynamics, and animal welfare. As a medical sociologist and one who has been in the field for that long, examining how these mega trends interact with societal norms and individual behaviors will be crucial for understanding their broader implications for public health and well-being. Addressing these issues can provide a framework for fostering more positive human-animal relationships in the face of global change.