Ebola: Not Yet Uhuru – Parker

The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, yesterday in Abuja asked Nigerians to be prepared for a likely occurrence of the Ebola Virus Disease, instead of jubilating over the seeming curtailment of the deadly virus.
He said the country still had a high risk of witnessing an occurrence of the disease especially during the forthcoming festive period.
Parker said, “We have achieved a lot. If the Federal Ministry of Health and state ministries of health have achieved a lot, this is the time to begin to amass armament for the battle ahead. One, the first case went to hospital in the United States; now, we are hearing it is in Dallas. The other day, we heard Spain. We may hear of Germany. It will not tell us the state where it will appear the next time.”
The commissioner, who raised the alarm in an interview with journalists in Abuja, on the state of EVD in the state, regretted the closure of treatment centers across the country.
According to him, although developing research and treatment are necessary, “we need to strengthen our preparedness for another outbreak.”
He said, “What has happened so far, to me, is just a warning. I can call it a fluke, when a gentleman jumped into a plane and ran into Nigeria. The disease is still actually residing in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. And, we must not forget that we have Nigerians living in these countries. The festive period is coming. A lot of Nigerians, as a tradition and culture, will return home. Some of them come with whatever they carry.
“I agree that some persons were talking about developing research and treatment. But, to my mind, while it is okay for that to go on, we need to strengthen our preparedness for another outbreak. We cannot predict where this thing will come in through.
“The potential of having another one is very high. It is there, it is a clear and present danger. I am not a prophet of doom; it just happens. The United States didn’t think that it would happen to them. The man actually went into the country from Liberia. After all, he is an American, he had to go back home. He was healthy when he went back home.
“So, I am a bit saddened that instead of us developing more treatment centres and getting more prepared, we are relaxing, jubilating and celebrating successes. I don’t think it is yet time to celebrate. It is time however to congratulate ourselves that ‘yes, this stage, we’ve passed it’.
“You can hear that a lot of treatment centres are being shut down. I read the other day in the newspapers that about eight treatment centres are being shut down. In Rivers State, we are planning to close down our own because it takes funds to keep them running.”