Ebola: NCDC Issues Guidelines for Health Workers, Cautions Against Importing Disease

• Lists Lagos, Enugu, Borno, others as high risk states

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) yesterday released a Public Health Advisory for Healthcare Workers on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) preparedness and readiness.

As of Thursday, the NCDC said Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed case of the disease, associated with the current regional outbreak.

However, in the advisory signed by the Corporate Communications Division, the agency warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of importing the virus due to increased international travel, porous borders and heavy population movement across the region.

It advised healthcare workers to maintain a heightened level of vigilance and strengthen preparedness measures to ensure early detection and prompt response should a case occur.

The advisory highlighted areas like risk assessment and national preparedness, stating why healthcare workers must prepare and be able to recognise Ebola  infection early.

The Centre also provided information on transmission risks and what healthcare workers should do to prevent the spread.

It advised healthcare workers to contact their State Ministry of Health or designated public health authorities for additional guidance.

The agency warned that Nigeria has a high risk of importing the virus due to increased international travel, porous borders and heavy population movement across the region.

States listed as high-risk include: Lagos, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa because of their international airports, seaports and border routes.

NCDC said the immediate objective of the preparedness efforts was to ensure that every state and the FCT can detect, contain and respond swiftly to any suspected case in the event of an outbreak in the country.

At the moment, NCDC said that 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths have  been reported in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with a fatality rate of 24.6 per cent.