Ebola: Kaduna activates specialist hospital and intensifies surveillance
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Kaduna State has activated its infectious disease hospital and intensified health surveillance to prepare for a possible Ebola outbreak. Public health director Sadique Abubakar said authorities had also assessed their response system and stepped up community awareness, Punch reports.
The government of Kaduna State, in northern Nigeria, has activated its infectious disease hospital and intensified surveillance at health facilities in response to a possible Ebola outbreak. The director of public health at Kaduna’s Ministry of Health, Dr Sadique Abubakar, announced the measures on Sunday in an interview with Punch.
Mando Hospital has prepared isolation wards, medicines and protective equipment. Supplies have also been distributed to some secondary health facilities. According to Abubakar, the state has completed an assessment of its preparedness to identify gaps and improve coordination. Rapid response teams are active, and awareness campaigns are being conducted in the media and among communities.
The index case was transferred out of Nigeria and the identified contacts are being monitored. Abubakar said no contacts had been recorded in Kaduna State. Several Nigerian states have announced Ebola preparedness measures in recent days, including Abia, which activated an isolation centre in Umuahia on 30 October.
