The Kwara State Ministry of Health has organised a one-day sensitisation training on Ebola and diphtheria surveillance and reporting to strengthen disease detection, timely reporting and response among health workers and other relevant stakeholders.
A statement by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Saad Hamdalat, made available to journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, on Monday, said the training was aimed at improving disease surveillance and public health preparedness.
The Director of Public Health, Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode, who was represented by the State Epidemiologist, Dr Khadeejah Kamaldeen, emphasised the importance of the training in improving disease surveillance, early detection and prompt reporting of suspected cases to prevent outbreaks.
The statement added that the training provided an opportunity to strengthen participants’ knowledge and capacity to identify warning signs, report suspected cases promptly and take appropriate action in line with established surveillance guidelines.
It said the initiative underscored the ministry’s commitment to strengthening disease surveillance, improving public health preparedness and protecting residents across the state.
Fakayode outlined the objectives of the training, which included “understanding the epidemiology, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms of Ebola and diphtheria among others.”
She further stressed the importance of applying appropriate infection prevention and control measures, following proper specimen collection, packaging and transportation procedures, and identifying gaps in disease surveillance while developing practical solutions to address them.
Speaking on diphtheria transmission, a consultant public physician with the World Health Organisation, Dr Maryam Jimoh, explained that humans were the only natural hosts of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, with carriers serving as reservoirs of infection.
Jimoh noted that transmission occurred directly from person to person through respiratory droplets and indirectly through contact with infected lesions, contaminated clothing and other objects.
She added that infectiousness might persist for two weeks or less, “although it can occasionally last longer, underscoring the need for early detection, appropriate treatment and effective infection prevention and control measures.”
In her presentation on Ebola surveillance, the Senior Liaison Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Gloria Ogunkunle, highlighted symptoms that should raise suspicion of Ebola virus disease.
According to her, these included the sudden onset of fever accompanied by at least three other symptoms, such as headache, lethargy, loss of appetite, muscle or joint pain, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea and hiccups.