The Federal Government is planning to identify and equip Ebola treatment centres in states with designated ports of entry as the number of identified contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case rises to 53.
The measures are part of efforts to strengthen the country’s preparedness for a possible spread of the disease, with the government assessing isolation capacity at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and planning an infection prevention and control assessment at Karu General Hospital.
According to an Ebola situation report obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, the authorities are also working to establish referral mechanisms for suspected cases, strengthen surveillance at ports of entry and improve the capacity of healthcare facilities to manage possible infections.
The FG is also strengthening preparedness for the Ebola outbreak by assessing isolation.
The report stated that the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital had undergone a needs assessment and optimisation for isolation and treatment, while an infection prevention and control assessment was planned for Karu General Hospital, Abuja, to determine its capacity to accommodate a possible surge in isolation needs.
Under the next steps for case management, the report stated that the authorities would pursue the “Identification and optimisation of treatment centres in states with designated POEs,” referring to designated ports of entry.
It also listed establishing referral mechanisms for suspected cases as a priority, specifying the need to arrange transfers of patients “from point of detection to treatment centres.”
