24th August, 2014
The Director of Port Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Nasiru Gwarzo, has said that the Federal and other stakeholders are partnering to fight the Ebola virus disease in the country.
Gwarzo made this known at a one-day public lecture on the Ebola virus disease, organised by the state Ministry of Health and the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, on Saturday.
The public lecture was entitled: “Ebola virus Disease; The Facts”. He said the Federal Government had taken plausible measures at all the nation’s entry points to prevent infected persons from entering into the country.
The director said the Federal Government had purchased motorcycles, protective kits, drugs and other needs for all the concerned health officials.
The Commissioner for Health in Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, said that the state government had purchased N50 million worth of protective kits for its health personnel.
Aliyu also said that the state government had set up an Ebola task team, while various testing and isolation centres had been set up across the state.
He said the state in partnership with other stakeholders had embarked on sensitisation of the people on the disease.
Also, the Chief Medical Director, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Dr Yakubu Ahmed, said that the Ebola virus disease required collective efforts by all Nigerians.
“The emphasis here should also be on prevention and all hands should be on the deck in this direction,” Ahmed said.
Prof. Abdulkadir Junaidu, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said that there were over 500 Zoonotic diseases which could be transmitted from animals to human beings.