The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has called on Nigerians to remain vigilant as the country clocks 21 days since the confirmation of its first Ebola case.
There are new headaches though, with the ragging battle against Lassa fever, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Diphtheria and Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
In a public health advisory issued on Tuesday, the NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, gave an update on Nigeria’s Ebola response and the other disease outbreaks the agency is currently managing.
Idris urged citizens to take personal responsibility for their health, asking them to seek medical attention promptly whenever they feel unwell, protect themselves against mosquito and rodent bites, ensure their children are fully vaccinated, and cooperate with public health response teams. He also cautioned against the spread of unverified information, advising the public to rely only on credible sources for updates.
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Turning to sub-national governments, the NCDC boss asked state governments to sustain disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, treatment readiness and community engagement, while providing frontline health workers with adequate funding, equipment and operational support.
Public and private health facilities, he said, must report suspected cases promptly and put measures in place to protect their personnel, stressing that early detection and reporting remain key to containing outbreaks.
With the festive season approaching, the agency urged Nigerians to celebrate responsibly and remain vigilant. It reiterated that public health security “remains a shared responsibility” that cannot be left to government alone.
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