Nigerian government has issued a red alert on Ebola virus, the causative agent of Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
In the alert, Nigeria’s federal ministry of health is urging individuals with high fever, headache, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding to report to the health authorities, especially individuals who had traveled to Guinea, Sierra Leone and/or Liberia.
In a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the Minister of Health, Mr. Dan Nwome, the health ministry said members of the public should take measures to avert the outbreak or spread of the disease.
It added that Nigeria has the capacity to diagnose the disease if it appears here.
Nwome said: “The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is currently studying the outbreak trends and has mobilised its rapid response teams and developed a detailed response plan that includes a comprehensive health education/health promotion to sensitize Nigerians, enhanced surveillance to detect and treat the disease, while mobilising its treatment/isolation centres. An alert has been issued to all State Commissioners of Health to mobilise against the disease.”
He added that the Federal Ministry of Health is working closely with West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and is ready to deploy experts to Guinea on request by the affected country to strengthen its response capacity.
Source: http://www.healthnewsng.com/2014/03/nigerian-government-issues-red-alert-on.html