Onyebuchi Ezeigbo in Abuja
The Federal Government has described as false, the message circulating in the social media purporting a positive case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Country.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdullaziz Mashi Abdullahi, urged members of the public to disregard the rumour and to discourage the circulation of any unverified information, which could cause unnecessary panic among the citizens.
In a statement issued by Director, Media and Public Relations, Boade Akinola, the ministry assured that since the reports of outbreak of EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo, heightened surveillance had been on-going at the various points of entry by officials of the Port Health Services division of the Ministry to prevent importation into Nigeria.
According to Abdullahi, every sick passenger coming into the country has been properly screened .
‘’I can say categorically that none of the patients screened has tested positive for Ebola or any deadly disease.’’
The Permanent Secretary noted that in line with WHO’s guidelines, a recent preliminary risk assessment conducted by the Nigeria Ebola Preparedness team, coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicated that the overall risk of importation of EVD to Nigeria from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda was low, but added “we are not resting on our oars in view of trading activities of Nigerians.”
He assured that the Nigerian government remained fully committed, while working closely with the WHO, state ministries of health, partners and all other stakeholders, to protect the health of all Nigerians.
‘’However, necessary protocols are being followed in line with international health regulations, ’ he said.
