Anambra Deploys Ward-Level Health Informants To Check Ebola

Anambra Deploys Ward-Level Health Informants To Check Ebola

From Seun Miracle

The Anambra State Government says it has deployed trained health informants across the state’s 21 local government areas as part of measures to strengthen disease surveillance and prevent the spread of Ebola 

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, disclosed this while outlining the state’s preparedness measures amid concerns over a reported Ebola case in Abuja.

Obidike said the initiative involved deploying 10 trained health informants per ward, with support from the World Health Organisation, to improve early detection, community-level reporting and response to suspected cases.

He said the state had also strengthened health screening and travel-history checks at relevant entry points, while working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO, UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières to enhance preparedness.

The commissioner maintained that Anambra had no confirmed Ebola case, urging residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information about the disease

He warned against claims that drinking or bathing in saltwater could prevent or cure Ebola, describing such practices as false and potentially dangerous if they discourage people from seeking appropriate medical care.

Obidike explained that Ebola can spread through direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person who is symptomatic. He advised residents to avoid contact with potentially infectious materials and observe appropriate hygiene practices

The commissioner also urged people experiencing persistent fever, severe headache, joint pain or unusual weakness, especially after possible exposure to an infected person, to contact health authorities promptly and avoid self-medication.

On Lassa fever, he said the 50-year-old woman being treated for the disease was stable and that eight contacts were being monitored, with none reportedly showing symptoms at the time of the briefing.

Obidike added that secondary and tertiary health facilities in the state had holding or isolation centres to support the management of suspected cases.

He said the state’s preparedness measures had been strengthened in response to federal directives issued about three months earlier.

The commissioner called on residents to cooperate with health workers, rely on information from official sources and report suspected cases through the appropriate public-health channels.