UP NIGERIA:WHO declares Nigeria ebola free

Nigeria has retained back her former status as ebola free country as the WHO declared her ebola free yesterday .The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Monday, officially certified Nigeria free of the Ebola virus disease. The country representative of WHO in Nigeria, Dr Riu Gama Vaz, made the announcement at a news conference in Abuja. He said Nigeria had successfully broken the transmission chain, stressing that the country’s story was an indication that the disease could be contained. “Today, October 20, 42 days, means twice the incubation period, after the last confirmed case of the Ebola virus disease was discharged from the isolation ward, having tested negative for the Ebola virus, the chain of transmission has been broken. “WHO officially declares that Nigeria is now free of the Ebola virus, the virus is gone for now, the outbreak in Nigeria has been defeated. This is a spectacular success story that shows to the world that Ebola can be contained,” the WHO country representative said. He added that there was a lot more to be done, as other affected countries in West Africa were still battling to control the spread of the disease within their countries and beyond their borders. Vaz said the battle against the virus could only be won if countries still plagued by the spread of the disease were liberated. He commended Nigerian authorities and frontline workers for their efforts and commitment in the containment of the virus in Lagos and Port Harcourt. The WHO country representative acknowledged Nigeria’s unique style and strategy in controlling the spread of the disease beyond the states where cases were reported and stressed the need for Nigeria to export its experience and expertise to help fight the scourge of the disease in other countries still struggling with the virus. “We need to continue sharing the Nigerian experience and the country’s expertise to help other countries to urgently contain the Ebola epidemic and supporting others in the preparedness and response plan,” he said. He, however, warned that Nigeria was still at risk of contracting the virus, hence the need for authorities to remain vigilant in checking its borders and other entry points into the country. Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, paid glowing tributes to the heroes of Nigeria’s Ebola control campaign. He commended the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan and the national Ebola response team led by the project director of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Professor Abdulsalam Nasidi. Chukwu said the president’s committed leadership, the affected state governments and the hard work of members of the response team remained key to the success recorded by Nigeria. He, however, urged international partners sending aid to other countries in West Africa to work closely with ECOWAS to effectively contain the spread of the disease. The minister said Nigeria remained committed and was open to support countries fighting Ebola, in addition to what it had already done to help contain the scourge. Professor Nasidi, speaking on the certification, said it only means that the epidemic was not sustained. He said Nigeria prevented a sustained Ebola virus epidemic, adding, however, that the certification did not rule out the possibility of the virus re-introduction. The don said Nigeria could not afford to let down its guards on Ebola virus, adding that the country must be at alert all the time, to be able to respond to any case of infection or outbreak. The expert said with the pronouncement by WHO, Nigeria ceases to be one of the countries listed to have Ebola and, as such, its citizens ceases to face travel restriction. He sounded a note of warning that Nigerians must stick to all rules of preventing the virus, such as washing of hands, as a case of introduction of Ebola virus could be deadly. President Goodluck Jonathan welcomed the declaration by WHO, adding that the globally-acclaimed success against Ebola was a testimony to what Nigerians could achieve if they set aside their differences and work together. Briefing State House correspondents in Abuja, on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said the president had dedicated the certification to the “many patriotic health workers, volunteers and ordinary Nigerians, who worked tirelessly, some of them paying the ultimate price, to stop the deadly virus in its track, after it entered the country in July.” Jonathan reiterated his appreciation of the contributions of state governments, WHO and other international health organisations, relatives of infected persons and other Nigerians, who either courageously underwent the rigours of being quarantined or complied with all directives issued by health authorities to defeat the virus. “As the nation applauds the success of its collective effort to stop the transmission of the Ebola virus within Nigeria, the president warns that the entire country must remain fully alert and vigilant against the re-entry of the virus,” Abati said. The president urged all Nigerians to continue to follow the anti-Ebola advisories on sanitation and personal hygiene, issued by federal and state health authorities. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said the certification was a welcome development, describing it as a wake-up call to all Nigerians. Its first Vice President, Dr Titus Ibekwe, said Nigeria’s neighbours “are still battling with the virus,” a reason he said it was not totally over. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, commended the successful eradication of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria, saying that the feat would change the negative perception of the country by the outside world. This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by his media office in Abuja, on Monday. The former vice president and presidential aspirant said that the governments of Nigeria, Lagos and Rivers states should be commended for the remarkable achievement in the face of the grimmest medical crisis that the country found itself dealing with. The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, on Monday, said the success recorded by Nigeria in the containment of the Ebola virus was, by all standards, phenomenal. Idris spoke in Ikeja, while reacting to the declaration of Nigeria as Ebola-free. He also announced a N50 million support to First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, where the index case, Mr Patrick Sawyer died, to assist it bounce back to business. The commissioner said the containment success was unique, because the country‘s case was the first urban case in decades.