DEALING WITH THE EBOLA THREAT
There should be effective mobilisation of trained health workers in addition to widespread public awareness campaigns on containment measures Early last May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the
Ebola virus disease has resurfaced in Nigeria, with one confirmed case reported in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The patient, a woman who arrived in Nigeria from Uganda on an international flight, is currently in isolation receiving medical care. Nigeria's response to the outbreak is led by the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, with a budget of N10 billion allocated for emergency intervention funding.
Health authorities are on high alert, urging health facilities nationwide to implement standard protocols for dealing with crowds. The disease, which kills its victims within a week of infection, spreads through close contact with infected individuals' blood and bodily fluids. Nigeria's previous Ebola outbreak in 2014 claimed eight lives and was successfully contained through swift and coordinated efforts by health authorities at all levels.
The international community commended Nigeria's response to the 2014 outbreak, and those lessons are being applied to the current threat.
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