Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has alerted Nigerians on the need to be at alert about the deadly Ebola fever even though there are no real signs of yet in the country. He told State House correspondents after yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja: “Ebola has been moving eastward towards Nigeria as well and we are already facing danger from Central African Republic (CAR). With what is happening in Congo, people are also migrating to Chad and Chad, Cameroon are also in our borders. “Yes Ebola is a real threat. It is true that as at today we have not been able to report a single case of Ebola. But mind you Ebola is not the only threat, it is an added threat because West Africa never had a single case of Ebola until this year, it was more in Central Africa. But now we have added it to the ones that are even more native to West Africa, which is Lassa fever.” Ebola has no cure for now but you can do something to protect yourself. Lolu Akinwunmi, Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), who has researched into the matter, advises the following reasonable precautions:
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap or a disinfectant.
2. Get a hand sanitiser. It’s freely available and inexpensive. Use it as frequently as required.
3. Also get for your children and teach them how to use it. Get also for other members of the family. Keep one in the kitchen for the helps, drivers, etc. Keep one in the bathroom as well.
4. Be careful with hand railings, door handle, toilet faucets, especially those used by the public.
5. Lovers of bush meat, be very careful. Indeed for now, avoid them. And if you also enjoy buka food, be careful. Be especially wary of meat foods like isi ewu.
Finally, watch out for people with flu-like symptoms such as fever, malaria, headache.
Always bath with Antiseptic liquid
