Ebola: No Cause For Alarm In Rivers -RSG

The Rivers State Government says it is fully prepared to combat the Ebola disease in the state as he urged the people not to be panic about the disease.
The State Commissioner for health, Hon Sampson Parker who disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing the Rivers State House of Assembly on the status of the state concerning the Ebola disease said the government was in touch with all agencies involved in the fight against the Virus both  within and outside Nigeria, including the center for disease control, Atlanta and Emory University in the United State.
The Health boss disclosed that a quarantine, isolation and treatment centre has been opened at Oduaha in Emohua Local Government Area, adding that the government has also bought, personal protective equipment, screaming machines, thermo/bodyscans, drugs, foods and other consumables
He explained that the state had experienced battle against a similar disease, like Laser fever and when the news of Ebola came, the state government started preparing for it ahead of time.
According to him,’’ we know that when something happens in the  west African sub region, the next  stop is Nigeria, so, as soon as it came to Nigeria, Lagos could be their first port of call, and the next will be Port Harcourt, so we immediately started preparing for it before time.
He revealed that the ministry had sensitized the emergency response team, noting that during the Laser fever period, the ministry had a team headed by the Medical Director of the UPTH, Dr Ojule and director of Public Health in the ministry of health.
” The ministry  expanded the emergency Response team and involved the Police, Road Safety Commission, the Army, Port Health, Nigerian Medical Association, the immigrations among others’’, he noted
Parker noted that the biggest challenge the ministry is facing is panic, explaining that it has released press statements to enlighten the people about the disease.
“You heard of people taking salt water, bathing salt water, chewing bitter Kola. The ministry embarked on englightment campaigns in different languages to educate the people’’, he explained further.