By Sola Ogundipe
The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to be wary of handshakes, hugs and other unnecessary physical contact and to adopt non-contact greetings instead as
part of the immediate nationwide high alert response to the confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In a public health advisory issued on Tuesday, the Academy endorsed the Federal Government’s response to the confirmed case involving a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria from Uganda, the Academy commended the prompt isolation of the patient, commencement of contact tracing and intensified surveillance.
Noting that the measure was an additional precaution members of the public were urged to wash their hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitisers, avoid contact with the body fluids of sick persons and refrain from handling the bodies of people suspected to have died from Ebola.
The advisory, jointly signed by the Academy’s President, Emeritus Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie; Foundation President, Professor Oladapo A. Ashiru; and Rapid Response Committee member, Professor Boaz Adegboro, urged the federal government to extend heightened preparedness measures across the country, drawing on Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the statement, the experts called for enhanced screening at airports, seaports and land borders, particularly for travellers arriving from countries affected by Ebola, as well as the activation of isolation and treatment centres across states.
They stressed the need for strict infection prevention and control measures in public and private health facilities, adequate personal protective equipment for health workers and rigorous monitoring of identified contacts.
Urging healthcare professionals to maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly isolate anyone suspected of having Ebola and immediately report such cases to public health authorities, The Academy identified fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea as symptoms requiring attention, particularly in people who may have been exposed to the virus, they advised anyone who suspects exposure or develops symptoms to contact public health authorities before visiting a health facility, to reduce the risk of exposing others.
Addressing public concerns about transmission of the Ebola virus, the Academy explained that Ebola is not an airborne disease, saying it spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, a person who has died from the disease, or materials contaminated with such fluids, noting that an infected person cannot transmit Ebola before symptoms begin.
Further, the advisory called for full cooperation with contact-tracing teams and warned against spreading rumours or stigmatising suspected cases, urging Nigerians to rely on information from official health authorities.
It directed the public to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s toll-free number, 6232, which is available round the clock
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