It had claimed thousands of lives: Nigeria prepares against Ebola outbreak

Nigeria has taken action to prevent the virus from spreading to the country following the declaration of an Ebola outbreak in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that it has increased surveillance measures at the borders.

Officials stated that although vaccines and treatment methods exist for some strains of Ebola, these vaccines are not yet available in Nigeria.

NCDC Director Jide Idris stated in a press release that no Ebola cases have been seen in the country yet, but preparations are ongoing against the risk of the virus spreading. Idris expressed the following regarding the outbreak:

'We are monitoring the disease in collaboration with the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases Technical Working Group. We are strengthening our level of preparedness by taking the necessary precautions... As the NCDC, we continue to monitor the disease through the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases Technical Working Group, together with relevant ministries, agencies, and partners.'

The Ugandan Ministry of Health announced last week that a healthcare worker had lost their life due to Ebola in Kampala. The ministry reported that 44 people were also being monitored as contacts.

EBOLA OUTBREAK

Ebola, which causes a type of hemorrhagic fever, first emerged in 1976 with simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The disease was named after the Ebola River because the outbreak in the DRC began in a village near the river.

Ebola spread in West Africa in December 2013. In the outbreak seen in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2017, 30 thousand people were infected with the virus, and more than 11 thousand of the patients died.

News Source: AA