Ebola: Gov’t orders ports officials to intensify surveillance

Nigerian Government has ordered port, health service officials and other applicable agencies at the points of entry to Nigeria to intensify surveillance towards ensuring that all travelers coming into the country are properly screened.

The Director, Media and Public Relations, Mrs. Boade Akinola, Federal Ministry of Health, made this known in an announcement issued on Friday in Abuja.

She stated that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Abdulaziz Mashi, had issued the directive in Lagos while reviewing health facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The permanent secretary, as well as some directors from the ministry, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), examined the entire health facilities.

She also added that the review was to determine the level of readiness in case of an emergency following the rumor of Ebola threats in Lagos.

Abdulaziz Mashi, however, noted that the “Thermal Cameras” used to screen all incoming travelers into the country are functioning flawlessly.

He, then, reiterated the Federal Government’s pledge to increase the number of cameras and deploy more manpower due to the heavy traffic at the airport.

He revealed that “more doctors, nurses and other health administrators will be sent to the port health services at International Airports for regular activities.”

The permanent secretary applauded the efforts of the Lagos State Government on readiness and surveillance system to curb the Ebola virus.

He further stated that the ministry and Lagos State Ministry of Health had been working together to prevent the importation of any disease into the country and thus called for continuous cooperation.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government described as false, the news circulating on social media networks, of a positive case of Ebola Virus Disease in the country.

More so, the Federal Ministry of Health, therefore, advised the public to neglect the rumor and also discourage the circulation of any unconfirmed information.

The ministry then said that since the reports of the outbreak of EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo is confirmed, sensitive surveillance had been constant at various points of entry to prevent entry into Nigeria.