Ebola: WHO Asks Nigeria To Provide Expertise, Build Capacity In West Africa

By George Agba, Winifred Ogbebo — Sep 26, 2014 Comment

The World Health Organization has urged Nigeria to provide expertise and build the capacity of other countries in the sub-region on how to contain the Ebola virus disease in their countries.

Executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mohammed Ado gave the hint this to after the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan, on the successful containment of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country and the effective transmission polio melitis.

Ado also hinted that WHO is set to announce Nigeria as the next country to exit from polio endemic country having successfully reduced the burden by 95 per cent between 2013 and 2014.

His words: “Mr President had interaction with WHO DG, we discussed the issue of polio melitis ‎ and she commended Mr. President for the leadership and effective management that had led to effective transmission polio melitis in Nigeria ‎and also containing the ebola virus outbreak. And Nigeria was well commended because Mr. President demonstrated highest level of leadership and other countries were called upon to emulate the good work of Mr President.

“You will recall that for polio melitis between 2013 and 2014 Nigeria was able to reduce by 95 per cent the burden in the country. Nigeria is being tipped as the next country to exist from polio endemic country and was again commended by all countries and the leadership of Mr. President was appreciated by WHO and other countries were called upon to emulate Nigeria’s example”.

On how Nigeria can benefit from the new committee on Ebola, Ado said, “Nigeria’s roll in containing the ebola outbreak in the country was well commended and other countries were called upon to emulate us. In fact one key thing that came out from the meeting between Mr. President and WHO DG was for other countries to benefit from Nigeria’s expertise in terms of containing ebola and Nigeria is going to support other countries in terms of capacity building, in terms of the emergency operation centers that we used.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Health has said it has discharged all the remaining Ebola contacts under follow-up in both Lagos and Port Harcourt.