Lassa Fever: WAHO Installs Cameras At ECOWAS-Member Airports

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, April 25th, 2019

…Adopts Unified Health Collaborative Scheme

Muyiwa Bamidele, Abuja

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – As part of proactive measures to check the outbreak of epidemic in Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) the Regional Health Organisation (WAHO) has commenced installation of Pharma Cameras at Airports in the subregion starting with Nigeria.

Director General of West African Health Organisation Prof Stanley Okolo disclosed this to Journalists at the meeting of Board of directors of the ECOWAS Regional centre for disease surveillance and control in Abuja.

Prof Okolo said the development was part of evidence of improvement made by the regional health organisation not only in Nigeria but across the region.

“Today before we came to this meeting we went to the international Airport in Abuja recently commissioned by His Excellency President Muhammad Buhari and one of the thing we did is that WAHO putting a Pharma Camera when people coming through that Airport to screen people within five second the camera screen people to know if they have high fever or to find out people that require urgent medical attention we put them aside”.

Speaking on the campaign against Lassa fever in sub Region, he said that WAHO and its partners are not leaving any stone unturned in terms of surveillance, research and training of manpower.

“We have made a lot of achievements because each country has national coordinating institutes. The region has also set up emergency response team these are the people we can pull from any of the countries in west Africa to go and support the weaker country in time of emergency”.

WAHO DG explained that individuals also have roles to play in the campaign against Lassa Fever or outbreak of epidemic in term of behavioral change in taking care of their health.

Similarly, the interims Executive Director Regional Animal Health Center an ECOWAS agency on Animal Health Dr Lillian iwar underscored the importance of one health collaboratives scheme adopted by WAHO to tackles diseases.

Mrs Lilian Iwar explained that one health deal with Expertise in Human, Animal Health, Environmental health professional work together to proffer solutions to issue of diseases.

“Animal health is important for me when the animal population is sick basically human population is equally sick if we talk about Lassa Fever it comes from pets and if we talk about rabies it comes from animals. Research has shown that seventy five percent of diseases in Human emanate from Animals you now imagine the important of one health approach in tacking diseases, this is pretty innovative”.

Meanwhile, Director General Nigeria centre for disease control Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said Nigeria is in the forefront of campaign against Lassa Fever any diseases

The West African Health Organization (WAHO) is the regional agency charged with the responsibility of safeguarding the health of the peoples in the sub-region through the initiation and harmonization of health policies.