By President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats, alongside the immediate release of ₦10 billion to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness against a possible outbreak.
The approval was announced in a State House press release issued on Tuesday, June 9, by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the emergency intervention fund will be used to boost the operational preparedness to safeguard the country.
“The fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities,” the statement read.
The newly established Presidential Task Force will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and will comprise representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as state governments.
The development comes amid renewed concerns over Ebola outbreaks recently reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The Presidency noted that the decision followed a stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Gbajabiamila to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the importation of the virus into the country.
As part of the response measures, President Tinubu directed all states hosting international airports and border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for coordinated implementation.
The President also approved the intensification of passenger screening at international airports, including enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control measures.
The statement added that passengers arriving through high-risk routes operated by airlines such as Air Uganda, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, TAAG Angola Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines will be subjected to enhanced monitoring.
Other measures include the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, mandatory QR code-based pre-arrival health declarations for passengers from designated high-risk countries, and the disinfection of airport facilities, baggage areas and cargo terminals.
President Tinubu further directed the Task Force to work with security, diplomatic and aviation authorities on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries.
AfrikTimes earlier reported that the NCDC assured Nigerians that there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in the country despite ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The agency stated that it is working with relevant stakeholders, including the Port Health Service, to strengthen surveillance at points of entry and across the public health system.
Image Credit: MedicinePlus
