The Zamfara State Government has intensified Ebola surveillance at Gusau International Airport and motor parks as part of efforts to prevent the possible spread of the virus in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Nafisa Maradun, disclosed this on Friday while flagging off the state’s Ebola response team at the airport.
Maradun said the measures were introduced after a passenger from Zamfara, who had travelled from Saudi Arabia via EgyptAir, arrived with a high temperature.
She explained that health officials had been deployed to screen passengers arriving by air and identify anyone who might require further medical assessment.
The commissioner said surveillance had also been intensified at motor parks and other entry points across the state, adding that public awareness was essential to preventing a possible outbreak.
According to her, the response followed reports of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had disclosed that the patient diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in Nigeria was a Ugandan-born woman who arrived in the FCT with her husband on October 3.
Flagging off the response at Gusau International Airport, Maradun said the surveillance team had identified a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia through EgyptAir with an elevated temperature.
“It becomes necessary as the surveillance team identified a passenger arriving from Saudi Arabia via EgyptAir with high temperature,” she said.
She added that officials would continue screening air travellers entering Zamfara to reduce the risk of the virus being introduced into the state.
The state government’s measures include monitoring travellers at key entry points and sensitising the public on the importance of vigilance and prompt reporting of suspected symptoms.
