Ebola: MDCAN Urges Nationwide Activation Of Isolation Centres, Stronger Surveillance
The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, has urged federal and state governments to activate infectious disease isolation centres, strengthen surveillance and improve hospital preparedness following the confirmed case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the country.
The association also called for increased contact tracing, laboratory diagnostic capacity and cross-border collaboration at airports, seaports and land borders to contain the disease.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Dr Taiwo Alatishe, on behalf of its President, Prof. Apollos Ndukuba, on Thursday, MDCAN said Nigeria’s large population, high mobility and fragile health system required deliberate and coordinated efforts to prevent the outbreak from spreading.
The MDCAN president noted that Ebola was a deadly viral disease with a case fatality rate of 25 to 90 per cent, but said Nigeria could contain it, citing the country’s experience in 2014.
“However, given Nigeria’s huge population, high mobility and fragile health system, everyone has a role to play and concerted and deliberate efforts must be made to contain this,” Ndukuba said.
He expressed confidence in the Federal Government, the health ministers, the Federal Ministry of Health and collaborating agencies, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, to lead efforts to contain the outbreak.
The MDCAN president urged governments to apply lessons from the 2014 outbreak by activating emergency operations centres, port health services and infectious disease isolation centres nationwide.
The association’s president also called for the training and retraining of frontline health workers in infection prevention and control measures, as well as adequate supplies of running water, personal protective equipment, diagnostic materials, holding bays and other consumables in federal tertiary institutions and state hospitals.
The Federal Government has confirmed one imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory, with 44 contacts under surveillance, while assuring Nigerians that there is no evidence of community transmission.
