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Tag: Ebola

  • Ebola: Disregard hot water, salt recommendation – FG

    Ebola: Disregard hot water, salt recommendation – FG

    The Federal Government has advised Nigerians to disregard a text message and postings on social media that hot water and salt may be used to prevent Ebola infection and cure infected persons.

    The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said in a statement in Abuja on Friday that people should disregard such rumours as cure had yet to be found for the disease.

    The  message reads: “Please ensure that you and your family and all your neighbours bath with hot water and salt before daybreak today because of Ebola virus which is spreading through the air.’’

    Maku said the information being circulated to Nigerians about the cure for the disease was false and should not be taken seriously.

    “Nigerians have been urged to disregard rumours being circulated in the social media that bathing with hot water and salt cures the Ebola disease.

    “There is no cure yet for the Ebola disease, what is being circulated is only a rumour that will only mislead Nigerians,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the minister as saying in the statement..

    Maku said Nigerians had already been informed on the necessary steps to adopt to avoid the spread of the virus and would be duly informed on additional measures when necessary.

    He urged the people to continue to maintain maximum environmental and personal hygiene to guard against contracting the virus.

     

  • Ebola: Navy begins sensitisation in Bayelsa

    The Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy on Friday began to sensitise its officers and ratings in Bayelsa State about the deadly Ebola virus and measures that must be taken to prevent its spread.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), CNC, Rear Admiral Peter Agba, in an Ebola seminar organised by the CNC in Yenagoa harped on personal hygiene.

    He spoke shortly after the state government set up a 13-man task force to map out strategies of tackling the virus.

    Agba said: “We cannot run away from our family members but what we can help them do is to help bring them to healthcare centres.”

    He advised the officers and ratings to take preventive measures to protect themselves from the virus insisting that “prevention is better than cure.”

    He further cautioned against reckless consumption of food items, since according to him, some of the items had been reported to be hosting the virus.

    “For example, eating of monkeys, bush meat, exchange of kisses among loved ones and so many other situations should be done with care,” he said.

    He said the seminar was put together to enlighten officers and ratings of the navy.

    Also, Dr. Esther Boyinbode, in her brief presentation spoke on the practical ways of preventing the Ebola spread.

    She said the virus was not airborne as being speculated in some quarters but could only be transmitted through body fluids.

     

  • WHO declares Ebola as international emergency

    WHO declares Ebola as international emergency

    The Ebola epidemic is an “extraordinary event” and now constitutes an international health risk, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

    The Geneva-based United Nations’ health agency said the possible consequences of a further international spread of the outbreak, which has killed almost 1,000 people in four West African countries, were “particularly serious” in view of the virulence of the virus.

    “A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola,” the WHO said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its emergency committee on Ebola.

    The declaration of an international emergency will have the effect of raising the level of vigilance on the virus, Reuters says.

    “The outbreak is moving faster than we can control it,” the WHO’s Director-General, Margaret Chan, told reporters on a telephone briefing from the WHO’s Geneva headquarters.

    “The declaration will galvanise the attention of leaders of all countries at the top level. It cannot be done by the ministries of health alone.”

    The agency said that, while all states with Ebola transmission – so far Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone – should declare a national emergency, there should be no general ban on international travel or trade.

    Ebola has no proven cures and there is no vaccine to prevent infection, so treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhoea – all of which can contribute to severe dehydration.

    Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s head of health security, stressed that, with the right measures to deal with infected people, the spread of Ebola – which is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids – could be stopped.

  • Osun educates residents

    Osun educates residents

    The Osun State Government has begun a sensitisation programme on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to enable the residents understand the symptoms of the disease.

    Health Commissioner Temitope Ilori, who addressed reporters yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, said there was no record of the disease in the state.

    She said even without the record of EVD in the state, the government still considered it urgent to educate the people.

    Ilori said: “As I am talking to you, there is no record of Ebola virus in Osun State. It is important for us to let the world know our state’s status and sensitise the people about the disease. We want to teach people about the symptoms to look for, should there be a victim. But we don’t pray it happens. But we don’t want the people to be caught unawares.

    “We want people to improve their personal hygiene and sanitation. We want to make people understand the mode of transmission of the virus. Physical contacts with the skin and or direct contact with virus-infected body fluids, such as blood, saliva, vomits, stools, semen and sweat, can cause infection.

    “Also, we know that this disease mostly affects the health care givers, family members and acquaintances, who come in physical contacts with an infected person or the dead body of an infected person.”

  • Ebola: Sanitary sales rise

    Few weeks after the deadly Ebola epidemic hit Lagos, top online shopping firm Kaymu.com.ng reports a rise in the purchase of sanitary supplies by Lagosians. TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.

    Following the death of Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian born American who arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on July 20 and died five days later, the awareness about the fatal virus has spread like wild fire.

    This can be accredited to the prompt actions taken by the Lagos State government to inform Lagosians about the severity of the virus and the continuous coverage of the situation by local and foreign media.

    According to a statement by Kaymu, online search for hand sanitiser on the platform has increased by 130 per cent in the past week and sales of hand washes and lotions have increased significantly.

    Managing Director of Kaymu Nigeria, Evangeline Wiles, said: “It is very encouraging tosee that Lagosians are taking the news of this outbreak seriously.  Lagosians and Nigerians in general are advised to take to the precautionary measures communicated by health officials, such as frequently washing hands, to ensure the virus is contained and possibly eradicated.”

    The Ebola virus is primarily transmitted through contact with body fluids of infected persons, with the skin and mucous membranes being the main routes of entry. As a result, the public is cautioned to sanitise their hands and immediate surroundings as often as possible.

    Meanwhile, supermarkets in the Lekki area of Lagos have recorded massive sale of hand sanitisers so much so that the demand far outweighs the supply.

    According to the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, one of the doctors that treated Sawyer, the casualty of the first recorded case of Ebola in the country, had contracted the virus, while another is showing symptoms and about seven other persons who came into contact with Sawyer, and had developed the Ebola symptoms, had been quarantined while 70 others were under surveillance.

    The virus may be spreading quickly this season, but if sales of hand sanitiser are any indication, germaphobia has already infected every corner of America.

    The nation’s hands are saturated with the ethyl-alcohol-based bacteria beater, studies show. Hand sanitiser sales totaled $173.5 million in 2012, up less than one per cent versus the year before, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago, Ill.-based market research firm.

    That figure — which accounts for purchases made at supermarkets, drug stores and mass market retailers — is actually down 42 per cent from the 2009 peak of $301 million (prompted by the swine-flu outbreak). “We would have to see something pretty dramatic for hand sanitizers to reach those levels again,” says Josh Green, chief executive officer, Panjiva, a company that tracks consumer products imports.

  • Ebola: Govt urged to ban food import

    To prevent the spread of Ebola through farm produce, the Federal Government has been advised to ban the importation of certain foods.

    According to Prof Tola Atinmo, immediate past chairman, Federation of African Nutrition Societies, agricultural and health watchdogs must keep an eye on poultry to  prevent contaminants in dairy products that can create an environment  for Ebola to prosper.

    He said adultrated food could contain poisonous substances which may render it injurious to health.

    To ensure that the disease is not spread through bush meat, he said  meat should come from regulated, government-inspected slaughter facilities.

    He urged food retailers and  growers to move to ease consumer concerns over the safety of their products.

    Fruit and vegetables should be produced on farms that are managed by safety conscious growers, Atinmo said.

    He said the country of origin tests must be conducted by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and  other agencies to find cases of misleading origin claims.

    Atinmo said tests and investigations must be done to trace documents and analyse the accuracy of  food samples.

    He stressed the need to ascertain   whether people were receiving accurate information on the origin of their food and where the results are good for consumers and businesses.

    According to him, it is vital that consumers are provided with a true picture as to where the food they buy comes from.

    Ebola is a severe, often-fatal disease in humans and non-human primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that has appeared sporadically since its initial emergence in 1976.

  • Ebola: ‘Several could have made contact with Sawyer’

    Ebola: ‘Several could have made contact with Sawyer’

    How many people had contact with the late Patrick Sawyer at the time he arrived the country?

    This was the question on the lips of Nigerians on Thursday when the Minister of Health, Prof. onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed that several people could have made contact with the deceased.

    Besides, he said those that attended to him within the first two days were not protected.

    Although, there is no new case yet, the World Health Organisation has said that more than 900 people have died so far with 1,700 infected.

    Onyebuchi said between the aircraft and the hospital, the number of those that had contact with the Liberian is still unknown.

    The minister also sounded a note of warning that the situation has assumed a global emergency as everyone is at risk.

    He said, “Indeed, this is coming from a Liberian citizen who is also an American agency worker. The family said he resides in America and he was expected to return to America for the celebration of his baby.

    ‘This tells us that if only the incubation period shifted a little bit, he would have come here, attend the ECOWAS meeting in Calabar and would have returned to United States and probably it would have started manifesting in the U.S. So, this means the whole world is in danger.

    “The two statements I want to make and if that is the only thing you will remember today, that will be sufficient for me; firstly, indeed, we have an emergency in our hands. For me, it is a national emergency but for all of us, it is a global emergency. Secondly, everyone is at risk, every nation is at risk and every individual is at risk.”

     

  • Ebola: SLFA donates $50,000 to UNICEF

    Ebola: SLFA donates $50,000 to UNICEF

    The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has donated $50,000 to UNICEF as part of its contribution in the fight against the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.
    The President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma handed over the cheque to UNICEF Representative, Roeland Monasch at State House on Wednesday in the presence of Miatta Kargbo, Minister of Health & Sanitation, and Isha Johansen, president of SLFA.
    The first case of Ebola was reported in Sierra Leone in May this year in Kailahun District. Since then the disease has been spreading in the country with almost every district now affected. As at last Tuesday, 214 people have been confirmed dead out of a total of 591. 161 have survived the disease and were discharged from treatment facilities.

    “SLFA is happy to be part of the fight against the Ebola disease and with our collective collaboration with UNICEF, we will kick out Ebola!” said Isha Johansen, SLFA President.

    Misconceptions, myths and mistrusts have been fuelling the spread of the disease in several communities especially in Kenema and Kailahun Districts. Widespread denials are posing significant challenges in educating communities, especially those affected by the disease.

    “The contribution of SLFA will contribute to fighting the spread of the disease and changing attitudes and behavior”, said Roeland Monasch, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone. “UNICEF is spearheading Social Mobilization campaigns in communities across the country so that they are reached with the right information and education on Ebola and with support like this, we are hopeful that positive attitude and behavior will be enhanced”.

    The donation will be used for strengthening UNICEF work on Social Mobilization. In order to enhance positive behavior and attitude changes towards the disease and address stigma and discrimination, UNICEF is intensifying Social Mobilization campaigns in all thirteen districts through community engagement and mobilization via street-to-street announcements, house-to-house mobilization, and awareness-raising using vehicles and motorcycles equipped with public address systems.

    UNICEF is member and supports activities in five of the Pillars Groups that have been set up under the Ebola Operations Center & National Ebola Taskforce: Coordination; Social Mobilization, Surveillance and Laboratory, Logistics, and Child Protection/Social Protection pillar.

  • Ebola: FG introduces life insurance for health workers

    Ebola: FG introduces life insurance for health workers

    The Federal Government has instituted life insurance policy for health workers attending to Ebola Virus patients.

    Besides, outbound passengers would be screened before leaving the country

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, announced these during a meeting with foreign missions in the country Thursday.

    He assured that these will start in the coming week as efforts are now geared towards putting everything in place.

    He said, ““we are facing some challenges because we need to encourage workers especially when they hear that some doctors and nurses are dying even now in Nigeria, a nurse has died. It has now become increasingly difficult to convince health workers to attend to these patients but we have to and we are making effort to get people.

    “We have also improved their confidence level, what we have decided is that all the people taking part even if they did not have insurance before, they must have insurance. This one is not indemnity for now alone, it is life insurance to protect them and their families so that in case anything happens to them, their families will not suffer double loss. So, that is mandatory and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation for All federal workers and all the people we will recruit whether private, state or federal personnel are going to enjoy this insurance.”

    On the screening of outbound passengers, “I believe by next week, we will start, we are trying to get personnel in place, we have equipment but we need more personnel, it is not easy screening all the airports, so we are trying to fill that gap.

    “The kind of help we mean is for instance, if you have an airline that is flying from country A and it is their airline, we can say, ok, we will give you some staff to do it with them.”

    On the trial drug, which the government requested from the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Onyebuchi said he is still awaiting response on that.

     

  • Seven hospitals designated as Ebola centres in Delta

    Seven hospitals designated as Ebola centres in Delta

    Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has announced the designation of seven hospitals as isolation centres for identified cases of Ebola virus in the state.

    Speaking at a meeting of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in the Delta North and Delta South senatorial zones in Asaba, the governor said there was no case of Ebola in the state.

    “We have designated seven hospitals in the state as isolation centres where any suspected case will be managed.

    “Every local government area has a contact person and there is a contact phone number – 32815 – where messages (SMS) can be sent to report any suspected case in the state,’’  the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying at the forum.

    Uduaghan said the government had also set up a committee to educate and sensitise the people about the prevention and management of the virus.

    He said the committee, which comprised the commissioners in the ministries of health, information and environment, had been inaugurated and would brief the people about the measures already taken to ensure that the virus did not get to the state.

    “There is no Ebola virus in Delta State and it will not come to the state. We are doing everything possible to deal with the scourge.

    “We have set up an inter-ministerial committee comprising the commissioners for health, environment and information to sensitise and brief the people on the measures in place to tackle any outbreak in the state,’’ the governor said.

    He urged politicians to take the message to the nooks and crannies of the local government areas in the state to sensitise the people on how to maintain personal hygiene and to regularly wash their hands.