Ebola: WHO Asks Nigeria To Provide Expertise In West Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has
urged Nigeria to provide expertise and
build the capacity of other countries in the
sub-region on how to contain the
outbreak of the ebola virus disease in their
countries.
Executive secretary of the National
Primary Health Care Development Agency,
Mohammed Ado gave the hint after the
meeting between President Goodluck
Jonathan and the director-general of the
WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, on the
successful containment of the ebola virus
disease in the country and the effective
halting of transmission of poliomyelitis.
Ado also hinted that WHO is set to
announce Nigeria as the next country to
exit from polio endemic countries having
successfully reduced the burden by 95 per
cent between 2013 and 2014.
He said, “Mr President had interaction
with WHO DG, we discussed the issue of
poliomyelitis and she commended Mr.
President for the leadership and effective
management that had led to effective
halting of the transmission of
poliomyelitis 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 poliomyelitis
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 exit from polio endemic
countries 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
role 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 centres
that we used.
“Because the emergency operation centre
that we used which is the holding room
arrangement which was used to contain
the ebola outbreak in Nigeria. So Nigeria
will be supporting other countries in terms
of capacity building and human resource
because already we have about 500
human resource available to assist other
countries within the West African sub-
region.
“So what this means is that public health
system in Nigeria is working and working
very well. So lot of good things are
happening in Nigeria and it is obvious
that Nigeria is providing that leadership in
the subregion in terms of containing the
Ebola virus”.