Ogun State says 111 travellers from countries considered at high risk for Ebola have completed monitoring and been discharged from follow-up, as it steps up surveillance after the confirmed case in Abuja.
Health Commissioner Tomi Coker said no Ebola case had been recorded in Ogun as of Wednesday, October 21.
Coker said the state’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre was coordinating preparations to identify, report and manage suspected cases. Surveillance officers, port health staff, clinicians, health educators and community informants had received training on response procedures.
The state is also increasing public information campaigns and infection prevention measures in health facilities. Coker asked public and private healthcare workers to identify and isolate suspected cases promptly and notify their local government surveillance officers.
The measures follow the federal government’s confirmation of an Ebola case in the FCT and its identification of 44 contacts. NaijaTrend reported the Abuja response here.
Coker urged people who may have been exposed to contact health authorities without waiting for symptoms. Anyone who develops symptoms after possible exposure should avoid close contact with others and call for guidance before visiting a health facility, she said.
Symptoms can develop between two and 21 days after exposure, she said, but symptoms alone do not establish Ebola infection. She advised regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood or body fluids of anyone suspected of having the disease.
The commissioner gave 08084250881 as the State Epidemiologist’s contact number and 6232 as the NCDC toll-free line for public health guidance and reporting suspected cases.
Sources: Punch, Channels Television
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