Ebola Virus: Nigeria still under threat---FG

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The Federal Government on Wednesday warned that Nigeria was still at risk of experiencing further spread of the Ebola Virus in spite of the successful containment efforts made.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, gave the warning in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said it was too early for Nigerians to celebrate the eradication of the Ebola virus as one confirmed case of the disease was being treated.
“Until we give a clean bill of health to every contact we cannot even say we have eliminated the disease. But even if we eliminate such that we have been able to discharge all contacts we don’t have anybody in the ward again, someone asked, is Nigeria still at risk?
``As long as there is one case of Ebola virus disease anywhere in the world and people are allowed to travel, every country in the World remains at risk; every citizen of the world remains at risk. So, we only stop being at risk when the very last case of Ebola Virus Disease under this current epidemic has gone.
``Please, let’s educate our people because I heard that people have been holding parties. The parties should be suspended. Please, we still have a case in Nigeria,`` he said.
The Minister stated that although the country had done well in containing the virus, Nigeria was not yet Ebola-free as some people were under surveillance.
According to the Minister, the federal government has no plan to ban mass gathering of people to avoid creating unnecessary panic.
He called on the media and other well-meaning organisations to continue to assist the government in its ongoing enlightenment campaign aimed at controlling the spread of the Ebola virus.
 Speaking in the same vein, the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, frowned at some media reports indicating that Nigeria was free of Ebola.
``We are still under threat. We must not take things for granted at all; it is real so that we just don’t celebrate before the war is over. We know surely we will defeat it, but we need more cooperation; more consistency; more alert on the part of our citizens and all health officials to be able to overcome this and we are working hard to do so.
``But please, the media should help us, don’t give misleading interpretation. I remember yesterday someone asked him (Minister of Health) ‘does it mean we are out of Ebola? He said ‘no, containment does not mean that Ebola is out’. But today, we still had headlines saying Nigeria was free of Ebola and I was in the press conference from the beginning to the end.
``If you want to sell your newspapers, don’t mislead citizens, it is wrong. So, are we heading there? Yes; are we out yet? No. So, we need to work harder, the media should help us,`` Maku stated.
Maku, who expressed the hope that Nigeria would soon overcome the challenges posed by the Ebola virus, enjoined all citizens to continue to maintain good sanitary habits to check possible outbreak of epidemics in the country.


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