THE Federal Ministry of Health has issued a health alert asking members of the public to take steps to avoid being infected by the deadly Ebola virus currently ravaging neighbouring Sudan, Guinea and Congo.
Although the ministry affirmed that it had sufficient expertise to track the spread of the viral disease, it however warned members of the public to avoid destinations where the diseases are prone.
The Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans, with a case fatality rate ranging between 60 to 90 per cent. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. Hunting for “bush meat” in forest and pre-forest areas and eating of bats have been associated with this outbreak.
A statement from the Federal Ministry of Health, Friday, signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the Health Minister, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, said that all health institutions in the country have been put on red alert over a possible outbreak of the deadly air-borne disease.
“The Federal Ministry of Health urges the general public to take measures to avert the outbreak or spread of the disease. Persons with high fever, headache, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding and especially with a history of travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia are urged to report to the health authorities. Though the health institutions have been put on red alert for Ebola here in Nigeria, the WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions to Guinea in respect of this outbreak.
“Nigeria has the capacity to diagnose the disease if it appears in our country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is currently studying the outbreak trends and has mobilised its rapid response teams and developed a detailed response plan that includes a comprehensive health education/health promotion to sensitise Nigerians, enhanced surveillance to detect and treat the disease, while mobilising its treatment/isolation centres. An alert has been issued to all State Commissioners of Health to mobilise against the disease”, the statement said.
Ebola is a deadly haemorrhagic fever which first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In February 2014, the Republic of Guinea reported an outbreak of Ebola, which had hitherto not occurred in the West African sub-region. Between that period and March 26, 2014, a total number of 86 cases were reported out of which 62 deaths occurred with a mortality rate of 72 per cent.
The most affected areas in Guinea are the south-eastern forest areas that currently have seven persons undergoing treatment in isolated centres. The outbreak was confirmed as Ebola by the Institute Pasteur, Lyon, France; Institute Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal; and in Hamburg, Germany. It is now confirmed that the outbreak has further spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone where suspected cases are being investigated.
Source: Guardian
