BEVERLY HILLS, May 19 (THEWILL) – Screening points, detecting machines, hand sanitizers and other measures to prevent an Ebola outbreak in the country have yet to be provided at the Seme border.
THEWILL recalls that the World Health Organisation (WHO) alerted the world of an outbreak of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Several measures have been put in place at major airports in Nigeria to prevent and curtail the dreaded disease, but no such action was seen to prevent the disease at the border.
Checks conducted by NAN reveals that there are no screening points, sanitizers and detecting machines at the border.
The reports also said that travellers and residents are also yet to be sensitised on the re-emergence of the disease in DRC and measures government is putting place to curtail its spread to Nigeria.
Also, Port Health officials were not screening people going in and out of the country through the border.
A port health official, who pleaded for anonymity, told NAN that there are no equipment to screen people.
“We are aware of the recent outbreak of Ebola and the need to put measures on the ground since this is the busiest border in the country, but there is no equipment for us.
“We have not been given screening machines, sanitizers have not being provided so there is little or nothing that we can do about it.
“You can be rest assured that once we have the necessary equipment and logistics, we would carry out all the measures that is needed to curtail this dreaded disease,” the source said.
Besides, commuters around the border area who spoke to NAN do not have knowledge of the recent outbreak of Ebola in DRC.
Meanwhile, the number of suspected Ebola cases in Congo has risen to 29, up from 21, WHO spokesman, Christian Lindmeier, told a regular United Nations briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
“As of this morning we have 29 suspected cases,” Reuters quoted Lindmeier as saying at the briefing.
“There were no new deaths in the outbreak, but 416 contacts of sufferers were being chased up in case they also developed symptoms.”
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