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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has stressed the need for stronger surveillance and preparedness to avert, as well as contain, future outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, warning against complacency in the handling of diseases.
The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, while declaring open a one-day public hearing organised by the House Joint Committee on Infectious Diseases, Health Services, Aviation and Interior on the recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, said national security could not be separated from public health security.
Abbas, who was represented by Billy Osawaru, stated that while the response of the Federal Government to the outbreak was commendable, it must not give way to complacency. He noted that in an interconnected world, a disease outbreak outside the country could swiftly become an issue of national concern.
According to him, “The outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in parts of Africa and the recent confirmation of an imported case in Nigeria remind us that public health security is inseparable from national security. In an increasingly interconnected world, an outbreak that begins beyond our borders can quickly become a matter of urgent national concern. Our preparedness, therefore, must never be determined by the absence of an immediate threat.
“Nigeria has responded to the recent development with commendable vigilance. The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant institutions, activated emergency response mechanisms, strengthened surveillance and contact tracing, and intensified measures to prevent further transmission. The establishment of a Presidential Task Force and the approval of emergency funding further demonstrate the importance attached to this national responsibility.
“These measures are reassuring but must not make us complacent. The fact that the confirmed imported case has been evacuated and no onward transmission has been established should strengthen our resolve to prevent a recurrence, rather than diminish our sense of urgency. The experience of the 2014 Ebola outbreak demonstrated that early detection, decisive intervention and effective coordination can make the difference between containment and a national health emergency.”
The Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, said the service was ready to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to prevent and contain the spread of Ebola, noting that it appreciated the fact that preventing and containing the disease required concerted effort.
Nwakuche said: “The Nigerian Correctional Service recognises that the prevention and containment of Ebola Virus Disease require sustained vigilance, adequate preparedness and coordinated national action. The Service remains conscious of its responsibility to safeguard the health and welfare of persons in its custody and personnel, while also preventing the transmission of infectious diseases to the wider community.
“We are therefore committed to strengthening disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, emergency response arrangements, staff capacity and collaboration with relevant public-health authorities. However, effective preparedness within custodial environments requires deliberate government support, adequate resources and the inclusion of the Service in national public-health emergency planning and response programmes.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Infectious Diseases, Amobi Ogah, in his opening remarks, stated that the public hearing was aimed at ascertaining from the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) the measures they had put in place to enhance the country’s preparedness.
“We want to know what steps have been taken, what are our projections for the future, and since the carriers of the Ebola virus usually enter a nation through the airports, we also need to know what measures are being taken in all our airports to screen persons migrating in and out of our country,” Ogah stated.
