Schools can resume Sept. 22nd Minister of Health insist

The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said that his ministry and other international professionals in the treatment and further spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have nothing against the September 22 resumption date for schools in the country.

The Minister stated this at the briefing on the update on EVD yesterday in Lagos.

He said the schools can resume and there are precautionary measures expected to be put in place.

According to Chukwu, there are no cases of people with active Ebola virus again in the country.

The Minister said:

      "What we have now are
       surveillance cases. Nobody is
       receiving treatment for Ebola."

      "There are seven deaths and
       12 survivors, and in Lagos,
       there are 11 contacts and 18 in
       Port Harcourt."

      "There are still some people on
       surveillance and those will
       complete the 21-day
       surveillance."

      "This means we have won the
       battle and not the war. Until
       those on surveillance complete
       the 21 days, we cannot say we
       have seen the end of Ebola in
       Nigeria."

      "We will continue to be on our
       guard. Enugu and Lagos are
       free; only Port Harcourt has
       people on surveillance."

      "As professionals, if there are
       dangers in the further spread
       of the Ebola virus, we would
       have spoken with the Ministry
       of Education on it."

      "So there is no need to panic.
       Parents have been going to
       markets, churches and
       mosques with their children.
       No market or religious place
       has been shut down due to
       Ebola. So why won’t schools be
       allowed to open?"

Chukwu said Nigeria is ready to assist in training of personnel and finances of managing Ebola in other ECOWAS countries.

     "Since Nigeria was able to
      manage the Ebola outbreak
      situation, it is indeed a pass
      mark that we are up and doing
      and can assist our neighouring
      countries in the region in terms
      of training and finance."

     "Already, the Federal
      Government has committed
      $3.5m to ECOWAS Ebola
      intervention fund."

He warned hospitals and health personnel from rejecting sick people, just as he advised anybody that is sick to go to hospital for treatment.

      "By rejecting patients, hospitals’
       personnel will be ‘protecting’
       themselves, but indirectly will
       be exposing the larger society
       to the risk of spread of other
       sicknesses."

      "Likewise, if a sick person does
       not go to the hospital, such will
       not be able to know what is
       really wrong with him. It is
       only at the hospital that we
       can make proper diagnoses
       and declare what is wrong with
       a person, be it Lassa fever;
       Denge fever or Ebola."

Prof Chukwu said nobody should stigmatise or discriminate against anybody that is sick or even treated of Ebola.

      "Health workers should
       continue to adopt the
       universal precaution. Survivors
       are willing to share their
       stories to tell the society that
       getting Ebola is not a death
       sentence."

      "Quarantine does not mean
       criminality. It is to help
       screening the person properly
       and for adequate treatment
       should such be positive," he
       said.

Nation