By Sam Otuonye
The Enugu State Government has strengthened international points of entry surveillance and risk communication efforts to prevent the importation of Ebola disease from Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, said this on Thursday in Enugu after the Enugu State Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) committee meeting on Ebola Prevention in the state.
The meeting, held with state’s health stakeholders and partners, was also attended by top officials of Port Health Quarantine Service of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
Ugwu said that the state government had deployed more health surveillance officers to complement existing Port Health Quarantine Service officers.
He emphasized that the state’s Ministry of Health would continue to liaise with authorities of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport to ensure that the recommended Ebola safe measures were strictly followed in the interest of public health.
He said, “All we want to achieve is to ensure all international travellers observe due Ebola prevention protocols and due contact addresses collected, while no one should evade laid down entry protocol.
“We are leaving no stone unturned as the state would also ensure necessary steps are taken to protect residents.
“The state government, ably led by our proactive Governor, His Excellency Dr Peter Mbah, has placed priority on protecting the health of Ndi Enugu.”
Ugwu noted that the state had started upscaling risk communication measures on Ebola awareness and prevention to ensure that every resident abide by personal and environmental hygiene protocol on the disease prevention.
He said the ministry had gone far in meetings with religious, traditional and community leaders with Ebola awareness and prevention messages so they could cascade same to their congregations, subjects and community people.
The commissioner said that the ministry is also producing electronic flyers on Ebola awareness and prevention and had started distributing same through various social media platforms, adding that “we will aggressively expand on this measure.’’
“We have kept our people abreast of government actions on Ebola awareness and prevention protocol through widespread publications on the mainstream media.
“We are pushing it higher by major jingles in both English and Igbo languages to be placed on radio and television stations in the state.
“We want the Ebola awareness and prevention protocol message to be a household matter, where individuals in communities will be well informed, watchful and report any observed possible symptoms even among their relatives or returnees from Uganda/DRC.”