From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos
The Federal Ministry of Health has urged the general public to take measures to avert the outbreak or spread of Ebola disease in the country even as it has alerted all State Commissioners of Health to mobilize against the disease.
A statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the Minister of Health, Dan Nwomeh stated that 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.
It further said that Nigeria has the capacity to diagnose the disease if it appears in country noting that 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.
“The Federal Ministry of Health is working closely with West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) andis ready to deploy experts to Guinea on request by the affected country to strengthen its response capacity”, it said.
