Nigeria: Abia's Proactive Measures Against Ebola Pandemic

An Igbo adage says 'na onye amro ebe miri biolu ima ya a gayi a ma ebe okwsili' meaning that 'a man who does not know where the rain started beating him, may not also know where it stopped'. In order words, observation is a tool to measuring circumstances in life especially for those who want to further their cause in life. The saying that history repeats itself, is probably, true in the life of a nation/state/community that failed to take heed to what had happened to them in the past and prepare to avert a reoccurrence. This probably explains why the Abia State Government has jump-started preparation for the warding away the dreaded ebola pandemic that is sweeping across the nation. Though no outbreak of the disease has been reported within the state, yet the government has put in place measures aimed at tackling the disease when and if it occurs.

Immediately upon his return from his working visit to the United States of America, Governor Theodore Orji swung into action and put in place a committee to work out the details on how to contain the disease whenever and wherever it is noticed. Before then, the Abia State Commissioner for Health Okechukwu Ogah had told newsmen that the state was aware of the presence of the disease in the country with the reported cases of death in Lagos and Anambra. He maintained that the most important step towards containing it had already commenced with a series of enlightenment campaigns within the confines of the state. According to him, the people were being sensitised on the symptoms of the disease, how it can be contacted as well as the fact that there was no known cure at the moment.
"We have begun the preliminary method of public enlightenment which is to forewarn the populace of what is on ground. No case of ebola outbreak has been reported yet, and the federal government is doing everything possible to ensure the protection of the citizenry by making sure that it is contained in those states where it has been reported. But we have started to let the people know what is happening, how they can come in contact with it, what to do when anybody shows symptoms synonymous with that of ebola. We have also told them that as yet there is no known cure which is why everybody must be on the lookout. We are praying that the disease does not come up in Abia, but we are taking adequate precautionary measures to contain it, if it happens."
On whether the government had established centres across the state to contain it whenever it eventually is noticed, the commissioner insisted that the setting up of a centre was not the major answer for now, but the enlightenment of the people to know what they should know and what they should do.
"What we have now is to set up a committee that will continue to work round the clock to ensure that all cases wherever it is reported is properly investigated by qualified personnel to ascertain first and foremost, if it is ebola, and where it is ascertained, then that area is quarantined to ensure that it does not move out of the place. The danger of setting up centres is that if you see up a centre in Aba and the victim is in the North of the state, through the process of moving the victim from there to Aba, the disease is also moving and may likely defeat the essence of the centre. So what is important now is to properly prepare to tackle it wherever it is reported and contain it there without allowing it to spread to other areas. But for now, it has not been reported and we pray it does not happen.
Upon his arrival from overseas, Governor Theodore Orji intimated the people of the state that he was aware off the disease and also the efforts the federal government has put in place and how it is working with the various state governments to stem its spread to other parts of the country. He insisted that the efforts of the government in containing the spread has been encouraging and that the understanding and participation of all Nigerians were necessary to ensure that it is contained within a record time before it does untold havoc to the teeming population of Nigerians. He maintained that it was not the business of the government alone, saying that the sensitisation effort was very strategic and that print and broadcast media must put their differences behind in order to properly stamp out the disease and save the lives of Nigerians.