Ebola: FG Tasked To Establish Local Surveillance Units

Posted by African Examiner Ebola News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, October 19th, 2014

From Ganiyu Nasirudeen

As Nigeria just survived the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and while it still remains a global health challenge, the Federal Government has been asked to establish Community Ebola Surveillance Units across the country.

National President of the National Medical Association (NMA), Dr Kayode Obembe gave this task at a press conference to kick start the 2014 Nigerian Physicians week in FCT, Abuja. According to him, Community-Based Ebola Surveillance units was necessary as the deadly EVD has become a global disease which must be eliminated from the “terrestrial habitat.”

He however gave the FG a passmark on effort exerted so far, to check the disease, adding that for awareness in a local based surveillance, Illness with onset of fever and no response to treatment of usual causes of fever in the area, or at least one of the following signs: bleeding, body diarrhoea, bleeding into urine, or sudden death, once identified should be reported to the surveillance team or the closest health centre. And for effective result, Dr Obembe recommended the establishment of at least, one isolation unit in each of the senatorial districts or state of the country.

“For proper function of these isolation units, ambulance transfer services must be provided to convey probable and suspected cases to these units for evaluation and treatment.

“Ambulance staff must be trained and equipped for Ebola specific barrier nursing to reduce risk of patient staff cross infection while states should provide information on help lines and sources of information on the disease,” Dr. Obembe specified.

In addition to the future management of the disease, Dr. Obembe called on FG to earmark cremation sites across the country, while the state governments should take charge of providing resources and giving instructions for safety disposal of Ebola casualties as well as other bio hazardous materials.