The Enugu State Government has stepped up measures to prevent and prepare for a possible Ebola virus outbreak, with Governor Peter Mbah working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to strengthen health security across the state and the South-East.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, disclosed this on Thursday at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, shortly after a high-level meeting involving the NCDC, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and officials of the Enugu State Ministry of Health.
Ugwu, who is also a member of the Presidential Task Force Committee on Ebola Prevention and Preparedness, said the state government had received strong backing from Governor Mbah to intensify preparedness measures and protect residents from the disease.
He said the collaboration was focused on improving surveillance, strengthening response capacity and ensuring that health security measures across Enugu and the wider South-East were sufficiently robust to prevent the importation and spread of Ebola.
According to him, authorities were currently working at the national, zonal and state levels to strengthen preparedness and ensure that relevant institutions and personnel remained ready to respond to any potential threat.
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“We are obviously shoring up our preparedness and readiness to prevent Ebola through tightening our health security measures,” Ugwu said.
He explained that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport was particularly important to the state’s preparedness strategy because of its role as an entry point for international travellers.
Ugwu said the government was determined to ensure that Ebola prevention measures at the airport were brought up to the standards already established in major international gateways such as Abuja and Lagos.
“The Akanu Ibiam International Airport is very important to us. We want to see and bring our preparedness on Ebola virus prevention to be at par or better than what is obtainable in Abuja and Lagos.
“This is why the high-level meeting is very important,” he said.
The commissioner said health authorities had already commenced capacity-building exercises and simulations involving Port Health officials, personnel from the state Ministry of Health, development partners and other relevant stakeholders.
He explained that the exercises were designed to ensure that frontline personnel understood the required protocols and could respond effectively if a suspected case was detected.
Ugwu said another round of training and simulation exercises was being planned for personnel at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport as part of the state’s continuing preparedness programme.
“We are already planning another round of capacity building and simulation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport,” he said.
According to him, preparedness would remain an ongoing process because health officials and other stakeholders must continually update their knowledge and maintain a high level of vigilance.
“It will be a continuous thing to make all our team members and stakeholders to be on top of their game to maintain protocol at optimal level, be cautious and diligent,” he added.
Beyond strengthening institutional preparedness, the state government is also increasing public awareness about Ebola and other infectious diseases.
Ugwu said residents’ education and awareness campaigns were being expanded, with information materials being developed and distributed through both physical and electronic channels.
“We are doing more on residents education and awareness as well as producing awareness materials and distribute same both physically and electronically,” he said.
The heightened preparedness follows the classification of Enugu State by the NCDC as a state with a high importation risk because of the presence of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
The airport’s international connections make effective screening, surveillance and rapid response particularly important in preventing the introduction of infectious diseases into the state.
The latest efforts also form part of broader national and international preparations against Ebola amid reported outbreaks in parts of Africa.
The World Health Organisation, with support from the United States Government, is involved in response efforts relating to Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
For Enugu, officials say the focus remains on prevention, early detection and rapid response, with the state government and its partners seeking to ensure that health personnel, airport authorities and communities are adequately prepared to deal with any potential threat.
The collaboration between the state government, NCDC, FAAN and other health stakeholders is therefore expected to strengthen Enugu’s health security system while providing an additional layer of protection for the South-East region.
