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MINISTER SUMMONS EMERGENCY MEETING OF EXPERTS
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FCT ON HIGH ALERT – DIRECTOR, PUBLIC
HEALTH
There is no confirmed case of
Lassa Fever in the FCT. This was
revealed during an emergency meeting of medical experts and senior members of
the FCT Administration convened by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello
on Monday, 27 January, 2020 to ascertain the status of the FCT following Lasa
Fever outbreaks in some neighboring states and also the preparedness of the FCT
Health Authorities to tackle a possible outbreak of the disease in the
Territory.
The meeting had experts in human
virology and infection prevention and control from the Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control (NCDC), World Health Organisation (WHO), University of Abuja
Teaching Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Committee, National Hospital
Medical Advisory committee, FCT Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association
(NMA), Port Health Services, FCT Primary Healthcare Board and Department of
Public Health in attendance.
Addressing the gathering, the
Minister stressed that the FCT had good medical facilities, adding that an outbreak
could be an indictment on the health care especially if it is uncontained and not effectively managed.
Malam Bello who expressed relief
that there is no known case of the disease in the FCT however called on the
medical experts to be prepared to forestall any outbreak, be it Lassa Fever or
the Coronavirus.
He also stressed the need for Area Council Chairmen
to be actively involved in the planning and execution of prevention and
treatment programmes since a possible outbreak will most likely impact more in
the grassroots areas of the Area Councils.
He also urged the experts to synergize
all their efforts for optimum results while calling on residents to take all
necessary preventive measures to avoid contracting the deadly disease.
While urging all health workers
to follow all protection protocols to avoid getting infected, Malam Bello
directed the release of additional
vehicles for the use of the Department of Public Health for the purpose of the
Lassa Fever prevention campaign.
Malam Bello also directed that all
stakeholders should hold regular meetings even when there are no visible
threats so as to perfect plans for a foolproof mechanism to handle the breakout
of any infectious disease.
He said: “Even after this is
over, the same group of stakeholders should be meeting regularly to see what
has been done and what needs to be done so that we don’t really have to wait to have any situation like the one at hand to
start discussing as to what we need to do”.
Speaking on the preparedness of the FCT for any
possible outbreak of Lassa Fever, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Josephine Okechukwu stressed
that even though there was no identified case of Lassa fever in the FCT the
Administration will remain on high alert as long as there could be a
possibility of a breakout occasioned by reported cases of the disease in
neighbouring states.
Dr.
Okechukwu said already disease surveillance and monitoring officers have been
trained and have received support of motorcycles to intensify surveillance in
the rural communities, adding that the reference laboratory in Gaduwa is fully
functional to investigate blood samples for proper diagnosis of any suspected
case of the disease.
She
reiterated that Lassa Fever was a disease caused by lack of proper hygiene,
calling on residents to ensure that their homes and environments were free of
rats which are known to be carriers of
the disease.
The
Director added that already, awareness campaigns have been intensified
on ways
of preventing the disease and strongly advised against self medication
adding that anyone feeling unwell should immediately seek medical
attention.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Chairman, Infection
Prevention and Control Committee, University teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Dr.
Yunusa Tahir and the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, National Hospital
Abuja, both agree that there was need for all medical personnel to work
together and be prepared in case of an outbreak while calling on FCTA to
provide a treatment centre for any confirmed case of the disease in the FCT.
ANTHONY OGUNLEYE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
FCTA/PCPS/PR/091
28/01/2020
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