Nigeria is a country with enormous potential with a diverse and educated population that has the capability to achieve any goal they set their mind on. Recent outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria imported into the country by a Liberian patient demonstrated that Nigeria medical community is as capable as their foreign counterparts. I was in Nigeria at the peak of Ebola outbreak and was pleasantly surprise at the preparation of the Nigeria medical community and government officials at the local, state and federal level.
Before our plane landed at Murtala Muhammed International airport in Lagos, all passengers were given a form to fill out. Contained in the form are series of questions such as which country each passenger came from, prior contacts, past and current medical history and possible Ebola related symptoms. Before we got into check-out line, our temperatures along with all other passengers was taken with a temperature gun. High temperature appears to be one of the early symptoms of Ebola. Passengers with above 100-degree temperature are quickly separated and given additional test to ascertain if the person is an Ebola carrier. If the result comes back positive, the person is quarantined, and the healthcare workers immediately springs into action to trace and monitor anybody that came in contact with the patient. The medical staff was able to methodically track down possible carriers and provide them early treatment.
The federal ministry of health in conjunction with the state governors and their staffs were largely responsible for logistics including daily briefing and update by the minister of health, Mr. Onyebuchi Chukwu with regard to the condition of the quarantined patients and number of new infections, if any, which helped to calm down jittery Nigerians awash with Ebola rumors.
What was remarkable is that state governors irrespective of their political affiliation sprang into action and directed Ebola operations in their respective states. In Lagos state where Ebola started, the governor, Mr. Fashola, worked tirelessly to make sure that this dreadful diseases was contained in Lagos. When a corpse from Liberia was dropped off at a hospital mortuary in Anambra state, Anambra state governor, Mr. Obiano immediately rushed to the hospital and ordered an immediate sealing and decontamination of the mortuary. The hospital was cordoned off till the federal ministry of health took control of the investigation and ran test on the corpse which came back negative. The federal government and the governors across the country immediately banned importation of any corpse into Nigeria and across the state lines till Ebola was contained.
The end result was that a total of 19 people died of Ebola in Nigeria. Ebola could have wrecked havoc on Nigerians, especially in Lagos state with dense population if the disease was allowed to spread. No new reported cases of Ebola or dead from the diseases has been reported since August 31, 2014. World Health Organization has declared Nigeria Ebola free. There is no assurance that future cases of Ebola will not manifest in Nigeria, but so far so good. Nigerians can be proud of their gallant fight against Ebola. Effort displayed by Nigeria government at the federal, state and local government Area level could be replicated in other areas of National importance.