Ebola Fear: Lagos ramps up surveillance as 177 die in Central Africa outbreak

By Chioma Obinna

The Lagos Recount Authorities has intensified surveillance and border successfully being screening following the worsening Ebola Virus Illness outbreak in Central and East Africa, the achieve now not lower than 177 deaths had been recorded from about 700 suspected situations.

Within the period in-between, the explain government has instructed Lagosians who believe contact with travellers from affected areas and are experiencing symptoms, to name 767 or 112, or contact the Recount Epidemiologist on 08023169485.

The outbreak, at the moment restricted to Congo and Uganda, has triggered a Public Health Emergency of Worldwide Order (PHEIC) declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO), amid concerns over tough terrain and delays in containment efforts.

Disclosing this the previous day, the Lagos Recount Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a post on his X handle, assured residents that no suspected or confirmed case of Ebola has been recorded in the explain.Abayomi said the explain is carefully monitoring the evolving explain and stays fully ready to resolution any public successfully being chance.

“We’re carefully monitoring the evolving Ebola outbreak explain in Central and East Africa… now we believe now not seen any situations akin to Ebola in Lagos to this level,” the commissioner acknowledged.

He added that Lagos has activated its outbreak-tested biosecurity framework, described as a “Biosecurity Bio-defend,” designed to detect, comprise and acknowledge quick to high-final consequence infectious ailments.
He said the map, bolstered since the 2014 Ebola outbreak and reinforced for the length of COVID-19 as successfully as other outbreaks equivalent to cholera, diphtheria and Lassa fever, stays on everlasting alert.

“The Lagos Recount Incident Inform Plot (ICS), led by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, is on standby to coordinate emergency response if required.”

He said said its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) operates spherical-the-clock, with epidemiologists and surveillance officers tracking neighborhood-stage illness indicators across Lagos.

The commissioner extra confirmed that the Lagos Recount Infectious Illness Sanatorium stays fully ready, with isolation wards, intensive care devices and case management services and products ready for any suspected infectious illness situations.

He added that its Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory in Yaba is on enhanced alert for quick diagnosis of high-chance pathogens.

On border retain a watch on, he said all flights getting back from East and Central Africa are below intensified screening in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Illness Care for watch over, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Review.

He said surveillance has also been bolstered at seaports and land borders, with Port Health officers positioned on heightened alert.

On the neighborhood stage, he said Community Health Workers, Community Construction Associations and Civil Society Organisations had been integrated into an early-warning map to effect clear quick reporting of suspected situations.

“Strategic stockpiles of Personal Protective Instruments (PPE), disinfectants and emergency offers had been positioned across key areas, while ambulance services and products remain on standby.”

Reassuring residents, the commissioner harassed out that there’s rarely this kind of thing as a reason for scare, noting that preparedness has change into a everlasting culture in the explain’s public successfully being map.

“Our heart of attention stays prevention, early detection, quick reporting and swift response. Preparedness is now not a non everlasting response for us; it is our everlasting culture,” he said.

He instructed residents who now not too prolonged ago travelled to Congo or Uganda, or had contact with travellers from affected areas and are experiencing symptoms, to name 767 or 112, or contact the Recount Epidemiologist on 08023169485.

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