The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has assured Nigerians that the nation has the capacity to contain the newest Ebola outbreak, citing its profitable response to the illness in 2014.
Mr Pate gave the reassurance on Wednesday after a gathering with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, urging Nigerians to stay vigilant however not panic.
“Nigerians should be reassured. We must be vigilant, but not panic, and people should respect public health information from trusted sources, and not spread misinformation and false rumours,” he mentioned.
Nigeria confirmed one Ebola case within the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday. The affected person, a lady who just lately arrived in Nigeria on a global flight from Uganda, is receiving remedy in isolation at a personal hospital in Abuja.
Health authorities have recognized 44 shut contacts and commenced contact tracing. The contacts embody healthcare employees, sufferers, caregivers and journey contacts.
Drawing on 2014 expertise
Mr Pate mentioned the federal government had activated containment measures to forestall the virus from spreading into the broader inhabitants.
“What is important is that we have found this one case. We are doing contact tracing, and we are putting containment measures to ensure that it doesn’t go into our population,” he mentioned.
He mentioned Nigeria’s earlier expertise with Ebola was one purpose for confidence within the present response.
“We have done it in 2014, and we have good public health institutions,” Mr Pate mentioned.
Nigeria’s 2014 outbreak started after Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, arrived in Lagos in July and was later recognized with Ebola.
The nation recorded 20 instances, together with 19 laboratory-confirmed instances and one possible case, with eight deaths. The Federal Ministry of Health, Lagos State authorities and worldwide companions activated an Ebola Incident Management Centre on 23 July 2014, three days after Mr Sawyer arrived, to coordinate the response.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Nigeria freed from Ebola transmission on 20 October 2014 after the nation accomplished 42 days and not using a new case.
Odianosen Ehiakhamen, Incident Manager for the National Ebola Disease Response and an assistant director on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), mentioned the company had recognized officers who participated within the 2014 response and are nonetheless within the nation to function focal individuals.
“Because Nigeria had experienced this same situation in 2014, it was important for us to identify colleagues who responded and were still in the country because they are actually going to be our focal persons,” Mr Ehiakhamen mentioned on Arise TV’s NewsNight on Tuesday.
Prepared earlier than affirmation
Mr Ehiakhamen mentioned the NCDC had additionally strengthened its preparedness months earlier than the Abuja case was confirmed.
He mentioned a danger evaluation performed in May initially positioned the chance at a reasonable degree, however the company subsequently moved to a excessive degree of preparedness and activated an alert.
The NCDC can also be monitoring the velocity of the response, together with the time taken from receiving an alert to reaching a well being facility, accumulating samples and finishing laboratory testing.
Mr Pate mentioned the NCDC incident administration system and the nationwide activity power had been working across the clock.
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“They are working 24/7, and the task force is also active. So we have things in place that gives us confidence that Nigeria can weather through this public health crisis,” he mentioned.
Funding issues
The minister’s reassurance got here as lawmakers raised issues concerning the sources obtainable to Nigeria’s well being companies to reply to the outbreak.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives urged the federal authorities to launch excellent funds appropriated for well being companies, citing the necessity to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing and emergency response.
Lawmakers additionally raised issues about an infection prevention provides, health-worker preparedness and emergency response capacity. The Senate individually referred to as for the speedy launch of emergency funds from the Service Wide Vote and urged stronger well being screening at airports and different entry factors.
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