TheCable

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Thursday began a training programme for its health workers towards curtailing the potential spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Mrs Hope Nwololo, LUTH’ public relations officer, said health workers are occupationally exposed to a variety of infection in the performance of their duties, hence the training is to promote the health and safety of all the health workers against the deadly virus.

“The training maps out the standard precautionary measures health workers are expected to observe in the control of infectious diseases and awareness on the risk factors of Ebola,” Nwololo said.

“We are all encouraged to apply, in addition to standard precautions, other infection control measures and strategies on proper and prompt response in the occurrence of an Ebola case.”

She explained that the training would include all employees of the institutions from the doctors to the administrative personnel and the cleaning crew.

“The delivery of healthcare services requires a broad range of workers such as physicians, nurses, technicians, clinical laboratory workers, security and administrative personnel,” she said.

In Sokoto, the former chairman of Shagari local government council, Alhaji Abdullahi Maigwandu, called for full participation of traditional rulers in sensitising the people on the dos and don’ts against the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

Maigwandu said that the involvement of the royal fathers would go a long way in mobilising the people to work towards preventing the spread of the virus in the society.

“There is urgent need for the people to be proactive in taking preventive measures against the disease,” he said.

“Active participation of the mass media in sensitising the people on the dangers involved in eating ‘bush meat’ is also needed.”

He urged the media to adopt an elaborate public enlightenment strategy on preventive measures to be taken against the spread of the epidemic.

“It is by so doing that Nigerians would complement the effort of the federal government in preventing the epidemic before it gets out of control,” he said, reiterating that the scale of Ebola outbreak and its grave threat required a holistic sensitisation among Nigerians, especially rural dwellers.

The tests that confirmed that late Liberian Patrick Sawyer was positive to Ebola were carried out at LUTH while a number of suspected specimens that eventually tested negative had also been taking to the health facility.