BY VICTORIA OJEME
ABUJA — Federal Government    has given approval for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support Ebola infested countries including Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to build local capacity of health workers to enhance their response in the fight against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

With this approval, 250 Nigerian experts are ready to be deployed to these countries in the next few days. This is the first phase of the 506 volunteers that have been identified and ready for deployment to these countries.

Supervising Minister of Health, Khaliru Alhassan, disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja.  He also warned that the transportation of corpses is still banned until  clearance is obtained from the Minister of Health.

He noted that in order to remain alert and prepared in case of another EVD outbreak   and to   ensure proper coordination of EVD activities in the country, the Federal Government has set up a National Emergency Operations Centre in Abuja.

Alhassan   however stressed that, despite the declaration of Nigeria as an Ebola-free country, “the Nigeria’s public health must not be taken for granted and we must not go to sleep and start resting on our oars. It should serve as a warning that this current outbreak of EVD still presents a measured threat to Nigeria and the rest of the world until it is contained and eliminated from all countries, particularly from the West African sub-region.

“Without this, the possibility of a re-importation of EVD into Nigeria remains high; thus it is not quite over yet. It is with this regard that we have developed a Nigerian Ebola Preparedness Plan with all elements to work with the states to activate their incident management systems, to strengthen   our national preparedness and   be ready to respond to a potential outbreak, should it occur again.