Ebola outbreak: FG urges Nigerians to step up vigilance

…As FAAN braces up at airports

The Federal Government has called on health care providers and the general public to be vigilant and intensify awareness on the symptoms of haemorrhagic fevers, following the outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an Ebola outbreak in the DRC on Friday, saying that at least one person had been confirmed dead due to the virus in the country’s north-east.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who made the call in a statement at the weekend, said the Federal Government in response to the WHO announcement, had directed health officials at the ports to step up inspection activities and to report any sick person or suspects, adding that such sick persons are to be referred to the chief epidemiologist in the state where there are present and relevant tests conducted.

Adewole noted that health care providers and the general public must immediately report any sign of illness to public health officials.

According to him, the symptoms to look out for include fever, fatigue, weakness dizziness and muscle aches. “Patients with more severe cases show bleeding under the skin, internal organs or even from bodily orifices like mouth, ears, and the ears”, he added.

He urged Nigerians not to panic as the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) is on ground and equipped to secure the health of citizens.

He said NCDC has for a while now, been strengthening states capacities to detect, manage and respond to hemorrhagic fevers including Lassa fever.

He called on states to begin social mobilisation and media awareness efforts via TV, radio, print and social media while also charging state health ministries to strengthen their supervision services and escalate any incident appropriately.

Adewole further directed all Nigerian health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion by screening all fevers for Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.

The minister also encouraged members of the public to observe a high level of personal hygiene including regular hand washing with soap and to also report all cases of fever to the nearest health facility.

Nigeria was declared free of Ebola virus by the WHO in October 2014 and the country praised for its handling of the disease which caused about 4,500 deaths across‎ West Africa.

Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has stepped up plans to ensure that the disease does not take the country unaware as measures have been put in place to test passengers.

The Daily Times investigation revealed that FAAN has put in place thermometers to test passenger’s temperature, cameras to take pictures and hand sanitisers at strategic points.

Ebola few years ago was brought into the country by a Liberian through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Ikeja.

Speaking on the recent discovery of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic 0f Congo, General Manager of Public Affair of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, disclosed on Sunday that FAAN in collaboration with Port Health has Thermal Scanners in Airports that check temperature.

Mrs. Yakubu said the agency was prepared to tackle the disease at the airport with the cooperation of Port health officials

“These Scanners also are equipped with Cameras that take pictures. We are prepared with hand sanitizers in our rest rooms too”

Allaying the fears of international travelers, Mrs. Yakubu pointed out that “we don’t have direct flights from Congo, we only have from Rwanda but I want to assure members of the public that we still have all preventive
measures in place at our airports.”

It was however gathered some countries were yet to put in place machines for the screening of passengers to ensure that the deadly disease does not spread to other airports across the globe.
Passengers however, appealed to the government agency to tackle the scourge just like they did when it started few years ago.

A London bound passenger who simply gave his name as Mike said FAAN has all it takes to contain the epidemic but warned on the dangers of spreading the disease on social media adding that “newsmakers should be careful to spread false alarm because that is detrimental to civil aviation.