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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government, on Sunday, confirmed that it had acquired an in-country capacity to test for coronavirus as a precautionary measures against the deadly coronavirus.
Spokesperson of Federal Ministry of Health, Enefaa Bob-Manuel, in a statement indicated that the feat was made possible through the help of the World Health Organization (WHO), in preparation for swift response to coronavirus incase if it eventually arrives Nigeria.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, thanked WHO for the support and confessed that the intervention will go a long way in getting Nigeria ready to respond to any eventuality regarding coronavirus or other related epidemics.
He called on anyone that had returned from China in the past two weeks to “self isolate” themselves for at least 14 days, in order to protect their families and communities from possible contact with the virus.
“The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat or difficulty in breathing. It’s advisable for such person(s) to report to the nearest hospital. In addition to that, any health care worker who receives patients with the above listed symptoms are advised to supply them with masks and isolate them before contacting the Nigeria Center for Disease Control(NCDC) for further actions.”
He advised that Naso pharyngeal or throat swabs of the patient are expected to be collected for testing for coronavirus at NCDC. The minister, also advised all persons, who within 14 days of outset of the illness, had any exposures, to report to the nearest hospital.
