Foundation President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Oladapo Ashiru has known as for necessary Ebola contact tracing for all travellers, no matter their political or social standing, and the institution of everlasting illness surveillance amenities throughout Nigeria’s 774 native authorities areas.
Speaking throughout an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Ashiru stated Nigeria should strengthen its response to infectious illnesses past non permanent emergency measures as he known as for sustained funding of illness surveillance techniques and warned towards exempting influential people from airport screening protocols.
“They must recognise this and they must make it mandatory for every single person, no VIP, going to the airport to have that form done,It should be for communicable diseases, and there should be installations across the local government, not even state, to recognise this and maintain it.”
He clarify that common contact tracing was important to stopping the unfold of Ebola emphasising that Ebola has an incubation interval of between two and 21 days. “For example, at the airport now, we must have temperature scanners, because the incubation period for Ebola is between two to 21 days before it manifests in the clinical signs and symptoms. So somebody can escape through the airport, and 20 days after show the signs. So the contact tracing must be universal. There can be no exception to that issue.”
Ashiru additionally known as for a 21-day monitoring interval for probably uncovered travellers. “But we have to have a 21-day window in which we can say that those people are now safe.”
Beyond airport surveillance, the professor stated Nigeria wanted a everlasting public well being response system that will cowl communicable illnesses moderately than give attention to Ebola alone. “I know there is a presidential task force on Ebola. This is a constant situation. It should not be for Ebola. It should be for communicable diseases, and there should be installations across the local government, not even state, to recognise this and maintain it.”
Ashiru criticised Nigeria’s failure to keep up the general public well being infrastructure developed throughout earlier Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. “That is something that the government needs to work on. The last time, we had a lot of preparation for Ebola and then also for COVID, but those things were not maintained. They have to be kept constant.”
“We need not to be a machine gun approach. We need to prepare things and make them ready and fund them regularly.”
Ashiru described the reported Ebola case in Abuja as critical however manageable. “The situation is very serious but it can be managed and the way we manage this depends on how we respond to this situation.”
“Now, so the level of preparedness, I can only give kudos to the fact that at least we’re able to recognise and diagnose these incidents in Abuja, because if they were not able to even recognise and isolate it, there would be more problems than we have today.”
On preventive measures, he suggested Nigerians to keep away from handshakes, hugging and pointless bodily contact. “So this is a time for Nigerians as the Academy of Medical Science has stressed to refrain from shaking hands and hugging. It is time to start greeting people like this, how are you, good morning, thank you, like the Indians do.”
“Once you get to your house, wash your hands, have alcohol-based sanitisers, but majorly avoid contact. You don’t need the mask, but you need to avoid contact with infected persons.”
Ashiru warned that Nigeria’s massive inhabitants and frequent social gatherings may make contact tracing harder. “Because Nigeria is a very highly populated country, we have parties, we are a mixed society. So if you go to such places and you begin to shake hands with somebody that has just travelled, it will be difficult for us to do contact tracing in that situation.”
He additionally known as on hospitals and personal clinics to stay vigilant and take quick precautions when attending to sufferers with signs related to Ebola. “And the next thing is that the hospitals, the private clinics must be on high alert in terms of once you recognise a case with fever or you suspect it, you have to be proactive in suspecting such cases.”
“One of the ways, especially to the health workers, they get infected by this is when they remove those protective garments. There are standard ways to remove them. So they must be careful to remove them, not touching the outside of those protective equipment.”
He stated public consciousness and the flexibility of healthcare employees to recognise suspected infections had been central to Nigeria’s preparedness. “But the level of preparedness of a country depends on the level of information awareness to the public and to the health workers. Every health worker now should recognise this.”
Ashiru alled for extra confirmatory testing centres throughout Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to enhance early detection and strengthen the nation’s response capability. “Not just to be in Abuja, we need to multiply those confirmatory test centres in the same geographical zones. But it is a reliable test and it is something we can depend on.”
He recognized public consciousness as one of the essential instruments in stopping transmission.
“The most important thing for us in Nigeria is awareness. When Nigerians are aware of a disorder or a disease like this, they take caution.”
Ashiru known as for handwashing amenities in public locations and correct sanitisation earlier than getting into buildings. “So I’m advising that we, in the various public places, we instal a washing basin to wash your hands and do proper sanitising before going into such buildings and maintain proper hygiene.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
