By Abdul Razaq Ibrahim
Following the recent discovery of another Ebola Virus in Liberia, the Ogun State Government has stepped up surveillance across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State to guard against the importation of the disease.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Daisi Odeniyi, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in his office at Oke- Mosan, Abeokuta.
Dr. Odeniyi said presently there is no Ebola case in Nigeria, but to guard against any form of importation of the disease through international contacts, the State Government has taken proactive measures to prevent the return of the disease.
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The Ministry of Health has written a letter to all the Local Government Councils in the State to step up surveillance in all the State borders.
He added that the Community Health personnel would also collaborate with the 20 Local Government officials to carry out the surveillance.
Citing the case of an infected victim who travelled from Lagos to Port- Harcourt at early discovery of the disease before it was stemmed, the PS, said Community Health workers who had earlier been trained by the Ministry on how to handle such cases would work together with the officials of the Local Government across the State to ensure prevention.
According to him, the present administration had put all equipment in place to handle any emergency cases, adding that the State could be vulnerable should the disease spread to Nigeria due to its status as gateway to West Africa countries.
Dr. Odeniyi said the Governor remained committed to the well being of the citizenry especially on health issues, urging members of the public to remain calm and continue to maintain appropriate hygiene recommended by the Ministry and NGOs.
“I like to use this opportunity to call on members of the public not to panic, but should not relent on hand washing, general cleanliness of their environment and quickly report any suspected cases to the Ministry of Health at Oke-Mosan or the nearest health center closer to them,” Odeniyi said.
