Airports in Nigeria on high alert

KHARTOUM: The Sudanese government believes that US sanctions imposed on the country for 20 years will be fully lifted, after a report by the US Central Intelligence Agency indicated that Khartoum has fulfilled all requirements, the Sudanese Media Centre reported.

“Sudan has fulfilled all requirements. Therefore lifting the sanctions is considered a fair matter,” Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said.

Washington had set conditions for fully lifting the sanctions, including combating terrorism and ceasing hostilities in conflict areas.

Xinhua

FEARING the spread of Ebola from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria has put health authorities at ports and airports on high alert.

They have been told to step up health inspections and report any sick people to local epidemiologists so that tests can be conducted immediately.

The action announced by Health Minister Isaac Adewole aims to stem the spread of the disease within Nigeria and elsewhere. Thousands of passengers in transit fly in and out of the country’s airports.

Abuja’s move came as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) activated an emergency operational centre to monitor the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, the AU said.

Africa CDC director Dr John Nkengasong said: “A team of experts is on standby for deployment to respond to the emergency based on the needs on the ground as we work on the modalities with the government authorities in the DRC and co-ordinate with the WHO (World Health Organisation) and partners.”

Eleven suspected Ebola cases have been reported by DRC health authorities in the Likati health zone in northern Bas Uele, near the border with the Central Africa Republic.

Last week, the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed one positive case among five samples collected.

A 39-year-old man, who presented early symptoms on April 22, died on arrival at a health facility.

The WHO has reported three deaths from the latest outbreak so far.

Adewole called on Nigerian health care providers and the public to look out for the symptoms of Ebola, which include an haemorrhagic fever, and report such signs of illness.

However, he urged Nigerians not to panic emphasising that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was ready and equipped to secure the health of citizens.

Nkengasong said health officials in the DRC were continuing to investigate possible Ebola cases by tracking people who may have had contact with known victims.

Previous reported outbreaks in the DRC included a 2014 emergency when 49 died of Ebola in Equateur province. The first recorded outbreak in the country claimed 280 lives in 1976 in Yambuku.

An AU statement on the issue noted that Ebola epidemics posed a public health threat that could affect the whole world and damage the socio-economic and structural transformation of Africa.

In 2014, Ebola spread through Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, killing as many as 4 500 in West Africa. The countries at the centre of this epidemic have all been Ebola-free since at least June last year.

In Nigeria, the Ebola virus was introduced by a travelling Liberian businessman, Patrick Sawyer, in July 2014. Eight medical personnel who had contact with him died.

However, the virus was quickly contained due to the quick intervention of the Lagos State Government which set up quarantine centres and only 20 cases were recorded.

The virus is named after the Ebola River, where the virus was first recognised in 1976.

Humans can be infected by other humans if they come in contact with body fluids from an infected person or contaminated objects from infected persons. Humans can also be exposed to the virus, for example, by butchering infected animals.

Adewole said state health officials had been trained to identify the symptoms of haemorrhagic fevers, which include high temperatures, fatigue, dizziness and muscle aches.

“Patients with more severe cases show bleeding under the skin, internal organs or even from bodily orifices like mouth, eyes and the ears,” Adewole said.

A Nigerian airports authority spokesperson said sanitisers and thermal scanners that measure the temperature of passengers had been installed at arrivals halls. – Additional reporting by ANA