Yobe strengthens surveillance at Nigeria’s borders over Ebola
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Post
Nigeria’s Yobe State has placed its health system on alert and strengthened surveillance at entry points, without recording any Ebola cases. The authorities activated a health emergency management system and deployed preparedness measures around six areas, Permanent Secretary for Health Hadiza Sabo said at a press briefing in Damaturu.
Yobe State in north-eastern Nigeria has activated its health emergency management system and strengthened surveillance at entry points into the state to prevent a possible spread of Ebola, Health Commissioner Mohammed Lawan Gana announced on Monday, according to the Daily Post. No case of Ebola virus disease has been recorded in the state.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hadiza Sabo, who represented the commissioner at the press briefing in Damaturu, said Yobe was intensifying coordination with border authorities and transport services. The response is organised around six pillars defined by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, including surveillance, case management, infection control and monitoring at entry points.
The authorities also plan to broadcast prevention messages on radio and television and through traditional leaders and local announcers. Sabo recommended regular handwashing, avoiding contact with the bodily fluids of people showing symptoms, and promptly reporting unusual illnesses or deaths.
The mobilisation is part of a series of measures taken in Nigeria after confirmation of an isolated Ebola case in a female traveller on 23 October. The previous day, Nigerian airports had strengthened surveillance, and Kebbi State announced increased screening at its borders on 25 October.
