commended the efforts of the Federal and Lagos State governments in
containing the spread of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
He said the efforts have been "fantastic", adding that "if you read
the media reports there is a lot of good words being said about the
Lagos State response; about the speed at which it was picked up and
the subsequent response involving Federal Government, partners to
support Lagos.
"I think we have seen real team work and the coming together of real
expertise", he said.
He however noted that "containing such epidemics is all about
prevention; it is all about the robustness of your basic health care
system" adding that "that is why Ebola has got us all nervous because
we are still trying to get our health systems back on their feet".
Dr Soyinka also hoped that "after the thing (Ebola outbreak) has died
down, we will have a lasting positive effect, because everybody has
seen that we are vulnerable on all these things that we take for
granted and we have to put things in place".
With the proximity of the state to the epicenter of the outbreak in
West Africa and Lagos, Dr Soyinka said, the state government began
sensitising health officials after a suspected case of the disease was
reported in Ghana.
He added that state has learnt from the experience of Lagos, where the
first Ebola case was recorded in Nigeria. This experience, according
to him, has put the state on alert in case of any eventualities.
"We have not only been training our health care staff and giving them
reminders of what this disease is like, what it presents and what to
do, we have also set up three isolation units, buy in the necessary
protective gears", he said.
He further added that the centres are located in the three senatorial
districts of the state, insisting that "these resource that we have
put in place will remain assets that will strengthen the healthcare
system of the areas they are situated and the state at large, "even
after the scare of the outbreak has been contained".
Dr Soyinka commended the efforts of First Consultants Medical Centre
in diagnosing the disease within 24 hours, adding that "surveillance
and picking it up is the key, because it reduces the number of
contacts" and allows for "early treatment and care which has shown
reduces the death rate".
The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, confirmed the two new
cases of the Ebola, who are spouses of dead victims of the disease and
are currently been treated in lagos.
This brings the total number of cases, including the index case to 14,
with five deaths and five survivors, while four are currently being
treated.
The Federal Government also has approved the release of N200m to the
Lagos State in the efforts aimed at containing the spread of the Ebola
Virus Disease, seperate from the N1.9 billion intervention fund
approved by President Goodluck Jonathan.
As part of measures to curb the Ebola spread, states government have
embarked on sensitization programme to help educate Nigerians about
the disease and how to prevent it.
WHO Commends Nigeria's Efforts In Containing Ebola
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had last week commended efforts
made in containing the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
A comment posted on their website
said "the situation in Lagos, Nigeria, where the first imported case
was detected in July, looks reassuring".
It further noted that "Intensive contact tracing, conducted by
Nigerian health officials and staff from the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, has not, so far, identified any further
confirmed cases outside the initial transmission chain.
"The intensity of the search and monitoring effort raises cautious
optimism that further spread of the virus in Nigeria can be stopped.
The search for additional cases continues, as does the current high
level of vigilance",
"At present, the city's 12 confirmed cases are all part of a single
chain of transmission", it said.
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