The Kano State Center for Disease Control, KNCDC, has activated a Public Health Emergency Operations Center, PHEOC, following the Federal Government’s announcement of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory.
The center’s Director-General, Prof. Muhammad Adamu-Abbas, disclosed this in a public advisory issued in Kano on Tuesday, saying the center is fully prepared and on high alert for any eventuality.
“The Federal Government confirmed one case of imported Ebola in Abuja. The patient is already isolated and receiving care. Forty-four people who had close contact with the patient have been found and are being monitored every day,” he said.
“Here in Kano, the KNCDC Public Health Emergency Operations Center is on high alert. There is no need to panic, but we must all be careful and act quickly,” he added.
He urged residents to stay calm while observing the mandatory protocols to prevent an outbreak or further spread.
These include not visiting a pharmacy, chemist or local drug shop to self-medicate, and not boarding public transport (buses, taxis, keke or Adaidaita) so as to avoid exposing others. Anyone who falls ill should be isolated immediately in a private room.
Adamu-Abbas listed the possible signs and symptoms of Ebola as sudden high fever, extreme weakness, severe headache, body and joint pains, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding.
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He explained that infection occurs when the blood or body fluid of an infected person touches the eyes, nose, mouth or a skin wound, and that it can also spread through clothes, bedding or surfaces carrying a sick person’s fluids.
On prevention, he advised residents to wash their hands regularly with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, and to avoid touching sick people, their belongings or dead bodies.
They should also avoid bush meat; anyone who must eat meat should buy it from clean markets and cook it thoroughly. Homes, especially door handles, phones and tables, should be cleaned with disinfectant or bleach.
Anyone with a fever and any of the danger signs who has traveled or met a sick person should neither go to a chemist nor stay at home, he said.
They should call health officials immediately on KNCDC’s line, 07077974504, or email kanocdc@gmail.com. They can also contact the center on Facebook, X or Instagram under “kano_cde,” call their Local Government Area Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer or report to any health facility.
In a related development, the director-general advised all public, private, faith-based and military health facilities in the state to stay alert.
He directed them to comply strictly with Infection Prevention and Control measures, warning against any compromise in enforcement so as to protect patients and health workers.
NAN
