The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, has rejected suggestions that the Ebola outbreak could be used as a political tool, insisting that public health concerns would not be exploited for political reasons.
Idris made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Today programme on Monday. He said the health sector would not use the outbreak to advance political interests.
Addressing the possibility of an election postponement because of the disease, the NCDC chief said he hoped such a step would not become necessary. He added that any decision would depend on how the situation developed and was not within his authority to make.
Idris said there was currently no justification for postponing the election, although the situation could require reassessment if the outbreak spread significantly.
Nigeria had prepared for possible Ebola cases
The NCDC director-general explained that Nigerian health authorities had been monitoring the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and preparing for the possibility that the virus could enter the country.
He said international flights and population movements were among the factors that made an imported case possible, prompting authorities to commit resources to preparedness measures.
Nigeria confirmed its first case in the current outbreak in Abuja on October 20. Following the confirmation, 53 contacts were identified for monitoring.
The patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland on Monday, while health officials continued surveillance of the identified contacts.
Idris urges Nigerians to practise regular handwashing
The NCDC chief also encouraged Nigerians to maintain proper hand hygiene, describing regular handwashing as an important measure for reducing the transmission of infections.
He said the practice could significantly lower the incidence of certain infectious diseases.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that handwashing education can reduce diarrhoeal illnesses by 23 to 40 per cent and respiratory illnesses by 16 to 21 per cent.
Source: Vanguard
