The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, also said at a recent meeting with diplomats that the government would begin the screening of outbound passengers at the country’s borders, as a way of curbing the spread of Ebola virus.
Moreover, Chukwu said that the Federal Government had declared the Ebola disease as a national emergency, while briefing the House of Representatives’ Committee on Health.
The minister said that everyone in the world now was facing the risk of Ebola infection, adding that the Nigerian experience had further opened the “eyes” of the world to the reality of Ebola.
Although Nigeria has yet to close its borders, the Federal Government has banned the repatriation of dead bodies from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone into the country.
As a proactive measure, the health ministry wrote to the U.S. government, asking for the experimental serum “Zmapp” which is reportedly efficacious in the treatment of two U.S. citizens, Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly, who contracted the Ebola virus.
Although indications suggest that the U.S. may not be forthcoming with regard to the drug, the Jonathan-administration is still relentless in efforts to partner with the U.S. in curbing the spread of the virus and save Nigerian citizens.
Meanwhile, all the states in the country have gone ahead to set up isolation units for those who have contracted Ebola virus, while embarking on the training of health personnel on how to manage the disease.
In Enugu State, for instance, the Commissioner for Health, Dr George Eze, disclosed the preparedness of the state in efforts to fight the epidemic.
“We have an epidemiology unit in the Ministry of Health, with experts who are saddled with the responsibility of fighting epidemics like this,’’ he said.
In Lagos State, the state government has moved swiftly to secure the state’s borders and scrutinize all persons coming into the state through the Seme axis of the Nigeria-Benin border.
Indeed, Nigerians are now more cautious of the risks of contracting the Ebola virus – the world’s deadliest virus — as people now avoid handshakes and contacts with others.
All the same, the health ministry has advised the citizens to adopt precautionary measures like hand washing to guard against infection.
It also advised health workers to use protective gloves while handling patients. (NANFeatures)
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