Lagos State to deploy health workers to Sierra Leone.

The Lagos State government announced plans to deploy some health workers who helped to contain the spread of Ebola in Lagos to Sierra Leone. Governor Babatunde Fashola made the announcement while speaking at a celebration of his 2,700 day in office. The governor said that the workers would look to replicate the containment strategies used by the state in assisting the Ebola-terrified country in overcoming the critical health issue.

Fashola mentioned that despite the disease being out of the country we are still susceptible to contacting new infectons due to cross-border movements. He, therefore, said the state’s planned mission to Sierra Leone was not only to assist the country to overcome the great health challenge, but also reduce the risk of the disease to countries within the sub-region.

“Lagos is free from Ebola, Nigeria is free from Ebola. But that does not mean there cannot be another case. For as long as people are moving from countries to countries ,the risk of infections is still there.”

“That is why I appeal to the Federal Government to continue to scrutinize people travelling into Nigeria from land,sea and air from regions where the problem is still ravaging.”

“That is why some of the things the commissioner for health will be announcing very soon is the arrangements we are making to send some of our health workers and volunteers to go and help out in Sierra Leone.”

“That is the only way we ,the whole of Africa and the World can be safe.”

Fashola expressed optimism that Ebola and many other diseases like Cholera that affected the world, would soon get a cure.

He said Nigerians needed not live in fear of the disease coming back into the country but urged them to take precautions that would guard against new infections in the country.

Fashola said the state government had taken a number of initiatives to prevent a return of Ebola in the state.

Some of the strategies, according to him, include the deployment of screening equipment to schools and hospitalsand the constructon of sanitary facilities in schools.

Others are training and retraining of personnel on infectious diseases diagnosis and the sensitisation of residents on how to be safe from the problem.

SOURCE: PUNCH