The federal government through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that Nigeria is about 59 per cent prepared to respond to a potential Ebola outbreak.
NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris made this known in an interview he granted ARISE News on Monday where he warned that porous land borders remain a major vulnerability.
Idris noted that while Nigeria has strengthened its health systems, it is not yet fully prepared for a major Ebola emergency, saying international airports remain key entry points for disease surveillance, but unregulated movement through land borders poses a greater risk.
“Our latest assessment puts us at about 59 per cent readiness. You can’t be 100 per cent prepared, but we keep improving,” he said.
The NCDC DG recalled Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014.
He declared that the past experience improved the country’s capacity for detection, isolation, and contact tracing, added that the NCDC has expanded laboratory capacity, trained health workers, and provided emergency response materials to states at higher risk.
He explained that as it stands, the country is currently managing between seven and eight disease outbreaks, including cholera and Lassa fever, some of which continue to cause deaths.
This prevalence of infectious diseases, he said further was a function of cultural practices and health behaviours in some communities, including consumption of rodents in certain areas.
