By Sola Ogundipe

The Federal Government has urged Nigerians not to panic even as port health officials nationwide have been directed to step up health inspection activities in   response to the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) about confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Professor Isaac Adewole

The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, who gave the directive in Abuja, while calling for heightened vigilance and intensified awareness efforts on the symptoms of hemorrhagic fevers,   said health care providers and the general public must immediately report any sign of illness to   public health officials immediately.

He instructed that all incidences of sickness as well as cases of suspected illnesses must be reported said State Epidemiologists should be promptly alerted and relevant tests conducted.

“Nigerians are urged not to panic as the Nigeria Center for Disease Control is on ground and equipped to secure the health of citizens. The Agency has for a while now, been strengthening states capacities to detect, manage and respond to hemorrhagic fevers including Lassa fever”, he said.

Tasking all Nigerian health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion by screening all fevers for Ebola, the Minister said common symptoms to look out for include; fever, fatigue, weakness dizziness and muscle aches, while patients with more severe cases show bleeding under the skin, internal organs or even from bodily orifices like mouth, ears, and the ears.

Further, Adewole called on states to begin social mobilization and media awareness efforts via TV, Radio, Print and Social Media while urging State health ministries to strengthen their supervision services and escalate any incident appropriately.

He admonished members of the public to observe a high level of personal hygiene which includes regular hand washing and to also report all cases of fever to the nearest health facility.

On May 11, 2017, the Ministry of Health of the DRC notified the World Health Organization and partners of lab confirmed cases of Ebola.

The WHO Africa Region (WHOAFRO) later confirmed that 9 suspected Ebola cases including 3 deaths were reported in the Likati district of the DRC.

Nigeria recorded a total of 20 cases and nine deaths   when   an outbreak of Ebola that lasted 93 days occurred between July and October 2014 after the Ebola virus was imported into the country by the index case , American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer.